t. 


UC-NRLF 


$B  3DS  ma 


";p^';;-:niE 


ttOG# 


'Is 


•Tr'r-^nr::^^^. 


I^EADEF( 


^^^^, 


^IME 


sij^^sse:::^ 


(f 


John  3wett 


Coini>ii«^^^*^ 


s    of. 


'^^  AGE.NT   FOr?  — 

lYlSON,  BLAKEMAN  &  CO. 
Office  S29  Sa/isome  Street, 

SAN   S^BAWCISCO.      -      C^l-- 


THE 


Geographical    Reader 
and   Primer 


A   SERIES  OF   JOURNEYS   ROUND   THE  WORLD 

(based  upon  guyot's  introduction) 

WITH 

PRIMARY     LESSONS 


IVISON,  BLAKEMAN   AND   COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 
NEW  YORK  AND   CHICAGO 


LBI5S3 


Copyright,  by 

CHA.RLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS, 

3882. 

gOUCATlONDEPT-- 


at 


PREFACE. 


Guyot's  Introduction  has  been  pronounced  by  competent 
authorities  to  be  the  best  of  school  reading-books.  This 
judgment  has  led  the  publishers  to  present  this  work  in  a 
form  more  attractive  and  available  for  class-room  uses.  The 
occasion  has  been  improved  to  thoroughly  revise  it,  and  by 
changes,  additions,  and  omissions,  to  give  it  a  completeness 
such  as  is  indicated  by  its  new  name. 

The  value  of  such  a  Reader  is  obvious.  The  material 
presented  is  interesting  and  useful  as  matter  of  knowledge ; 
its  familiar  and  colloquial  style  awakens  interest  in  the 
subject,  creates  easy  and  natural  tones  of  expression,  and 
leaves  a  lasting  impress  upon  the  mind. 

In  order  to  complete  its  usefulness  as  a  class-book,  the 
leading  geographical  facts  are  gathered  up  and  presented  in 
Part  II.  as  a  Primer  of  Lessons.  This  part  is  a  brief  out- 
line of  geography  for  beginners  ;  noticing  the  location  and 
commercial  and  political  character  of  the  countries,  the  nature 
of  which  has  been  given,  with  much  of  their  Zi/e,  in  Part  I. 
The  form  of  these  lessons,  and  their  intimate  connection  with 
the  readings,  are  such  as  to  make  mere  repetition  of  words 
without  thoughts  altogether  impossible. 

The  Geographical  Reader  and  Primer  is  believed  to 
embody,  both  in  the  choice  of  material  for  its  grade  and  in 
the  mode  of  treatment,  the  best  results  of  thought  and  expe- 
rience on  the  part  of  the  most  earnest  and  practical  edu- 
cators. 

54  5;)  06       "' 


CONTENTS. 


PART    I. 

PAGE 

mTRODUCTIOX 1. 

NORTH  AMERICA. 
United  States. 

The  Atlantic  Plain 4 

The  Appalachian  Mountains 14 

The  Central  Plain 20 

The  Mississippi 23 

The  Hudson 37 

The  Great  Lakes  and  St.  Lawrence 46 

Lake  Chainplain  and  Adirondacks        ....  56 

New  England 59 

Rocky  Mountain  Country 63 

The  Table-land 66 

California 70 

Northern  Lands 75 

Southern  Lands 82 

SOUTH  AMERICA. 

Amazon  and  Selvas 89 

Andes 97 

Plains  of  the  Orinoco 102 

Plains  of  the  La  Plata 105 

ATLANTIC  OCEAN 108 

EUROPE. 

British  Isles 113 

Atlantic  Coast  Countries 122 

South-western  Peninsulas 135 

Central  and  South-eastern  Europe     ....  145 

Russia 158 

AFRICA 160 

ASIA 167 

AUSTRALIA 180 

PACIFIC   OCEAN 182 

CONCLUSION  (Poem) 184 

iv 


CONTENTS, 


PART   II. 

PAGE 

INTRODUCTORY  LESSONS 187 

NORTH  AMERICA. 
United  States. 

General  Lessons 207 

New  England 215 

Middle  Atlantic  States 220 

Cotton  States  (South  Atlantic  and  Gulf)         ...  224 

Central  States 230 

Western  Highlands  (Pacific  States) 235 

British  America 240 

Mexico,  Central  America,  and  West  Indies      .        .  241 

SOUTH  AMERICA. 

Countries  of  the  Plains 244 

Countries  of  the  Andes 246 

EXAMINATION  ON  WESTERN  HEMISPHERE        .        .  248 

EUROPE. 

The  Continent 250 

British  Isles 251 

France,  Belgium,  and  Holland 254 

The  North  Countries 255 

Mediterranean  Countries  (Sunny  Lands)  .        .        .  257 

Switzerland  and  Germany 259 

Austrian  Empire 261 

Russia  and  Roumania 262 

AFRICA. 

Northern  Africa 268 

Middle  and  Southern  Africa 269 

ASIA. 

Northern  and  Western  Asia 272 

The  Indies 273 

Chinese  and  Japanese  Empires 275 

AUSTRALIA 278 

EXAMINATION  ON  EASTERN  HEMISPHERE    .        .         .280 

TABLES  FOR  REFERENCE 281 


LIST    OF    MAPS. 


PAGES 

1.  HEMISPHERES  (douLIe  pa-e) 194,195 

2.  UNITED  STATES  (double  page)     .....        212,  213 

3.  NEW  ENGLAND  STATES 219 

4.  MIDDLE  ATLANTIC  STATES 225 

5.  SOUTH  ATLANTIC  AND  GULF  STATES    ....    229 

6.  CENTRAL  STATES 235 

7.  PACIFIC  STATES 239 

8.  NORTH  AMERICA 243 

9.  SOUTH  AMERICA 249 

10.  BRITISH  ISLES 253 

11.  CENTRAL  EUROPE 2C3 

12.  EUROPE 267 

13.  AFRICA 271 

14.  ASIA 277 

vi 


Geographical  Reader. 


WHAT  ^W^B  LEARN  IN  GEOGRAPHY. 
Ge-og'-ra-phy.  |         de-scrip'-tion.  |       in'-ter-est-ing. 

1.  When  we  want  to  learn  all  about  a  thing,  so  as 
to  be  sure  of  making  no  mistake,  we  like  to  see  and 
examine  it  for  ourselves.  We  are  not  content  to  know 
only  what  others  can  tell  us,  for  we  feel  that  our  eyes 
are  our  surest  teachers. 

2.  That  is  the  best  way  to  learn  many  things  about 
the  Earth  ;  for  we  live  upon  it,  and  it  is  all  around  us, 
and  before  our  eyes  at  all  times.  But  the  earth  is  so 
great,  and  most  people  travel  so  little,  that  they  can 
see  for  themselves  only  a  very  small  part  of  it,  even 
if  they  use  their  eyes  busily  wherever  they  go. 

3.  There  are  a  thousand  things  that  every  one  wants 
to  know  about  his  country,  and  about  other  parts  of 
the  world,  which  he  must  learn  by  reading  books.  But 
these  books  tell  us  only  what  is  on  the  outside,  or  sur- 
face^ of  the  earth;  for  that  is  all  that  interests  most 
people.  A  book  which  tells  about  the  surface  of  the 
earth,  and  the  people  and  countries  upon  it,  is  called  a 
Geography ;  for  geography  means  a  description  of  the 
earth, 

4.  When  we  look  around  us,  we  see  that  the  earth 

1 


GEOGBAPHICAL   READER. 


has  two  kinds  of  surface.  One  is  firm  and  solid;  and 
we  call  it  ground,  or  land.  We  walk  or  ride  over  it ; 
we  build  our  houses  upon  it ;  we  see  trees  and  grass 
growing  out  of  it ;  we  sow  seeds  in  it,  and  soon  it  is 
covered  with  young,  growing  plants. 

5.  There  is  another  part,  which  is  not  solid,  but  is 
always  moving  and  flowing,  and  being  stirred  by  the 


Land  and  Sea. 

wind.  This  is  water.  People  do  not  often  build  houses 
to  live  in,  upon  the  water ;  but  there  is  a  sort  of  build- 
ing made  on  purpose  to  move  about  on  it,  and  to  carry 
persons  from  place  to  place  where  they  may  wish  to  go. 
These  moving  houses  are  boats  and  ships.  People 
found  out  how  to  build  them,  and  to  make  the  water 
useful  in  this  way,  almost  as  soon  as  they  learned  to 
build  houses  on  the  land. 


WHAT   WE  LEAEN  IN   GEOGRAPHY. 


6.  We  see  more  land  than  water,  and  it  would  not  be 
at  all  strange  if  we  should  think  there  was  more  of  it 
on  the  earth.  But  geography  teaches  us  that  there  is 
much  more  water  than  land.  Nearly  three-fourths  of 
the  earth's  surface  is  water,  and  only  about  one-fourth 
is  land.  This  is  one  of  the  things  which  we  could  not 
see  for  ourselves  if  we  should  travel  over  all  parts  of 
the  earth,  and  use  our  eyes  carefully  everywhere. 

7.  There  are  other  things  about  the  earth,  which  wise 
men  found  out  only  through  many  years  of  hard  study. 
These,  too,  we  must  learn  from  books.  One  of  these  is 
the  shape  of  the  earth.  People  used,  ages  ago,  to  have 
queer  ideas  about  this.  They  thought  that  the  earth 
was  flat,  like  a  great  plate ;  that  it  was  held  up  in  some 
wonderful  way,  and  that  the  sun  and  the  stars  all  trav- 
elled around  it. 

8.  Now,  the  books  teach  us  that  the  earth  is  a  great 
ball;  that  it  keeps  all  the  time  whirling  round  and 
round;  and  that,  at  the  same  time,  it  rolls  on  in  a 
great  journey  around  the  sun,  year  after  year,  never 
stopping  even  for  a  single  moment. 

9.  The  geographies  teach  us,  too,  about  interesting 
countries  in  far-off  parts  of  the  world;  about  strange 
people,  who  look  very  unlike  us ;  and  about  strong  and 
fierce  animals  and  curious  plants,  which  we  have  never 
seen,  and  which  could  not  live  at  all  in  a  country  like 
ours. 

10.  Thus  children  who  would  become  wise  must  learn 
how  to  study  books,  as  well  as  how  to  use  their  own 
eyes  at  all  times,  and  to  think  about  what  they  see. 
But,  if  we  learn  about  the  earth  only  what  the  eyes  of 
travellers  can  teach  them,  we  shall  know  a  great  deal 
of  geography,  —  more  than  most  people  know. 


NORTH  AMERICA. 


I. -IN  THE  LEVEL  COUNTRY", 
jour'-ney  [jer'-juj],     \    car'-riage  [care'-rij].     |    veg'-e-ta-bles  [vef-]. 

1.  Now  for  the  geography  which  our  eyes  can  teach 
us.  To  get  this,  we  will  begin  by  making  a  long  jour- 
ney in  a  carriage,  using  our  eyes  busily  all  the  time  as 
we  go  along. 

2.  At  first,  for  many  hours,  we  drive  through  a  fine 
country,  with  pretty  white  farmhouses,  orchards,  and 
fields  of  grain;  with  broad  green  meadows  where  the 
haymakers  are  busy,  and  pastures  where  are  flocks  of 
sheep,  and  herds  of  cows  and  horses,  feeding  on  the 
fresh  sweet  grass. 

3.  Little  brooks  ripple  over  the  pebbles  by  the  road- 
side, or  wind,  like  silver  threads,  through  the  green 
grass  of  the  pastures  and  meadows.  Here  and  there 
are  immense  gardens,  in  which  are  raised  great  quanti- 
ties of  strawberries,  melons,  peaches,  and  other  deli- 
cious fruits,  and  all  sorts  of  vegetables  for  the  table. 

4.  Now  we  drive  through  the  pleasant,  shady  woods, 
where  merry  birds  are  singing,  and  many  pretty  flow- 
ers are  blooming  beneath  the  trees.  We  see  squirrels 
hopping  from  branch  to  branch,  or  running  as  fast  as 
their  nimble  feet  can  carry  them,  upon  the  fence  by  the 

4 


m   THE  LEVEL    COUNTRY. 


roadside,  and  soon  dodging  out  of  sight  into  some  heap 
of  stones  or  brush. 

5.  By  and  by  we  come  to  a  little  village  with  its  church 
and  schoolhouse^  and  its  stores^  where  the  farmers  come 
to  sell  their  eggs  and  butter,  and  buy  their  sugar  and 
tea,  and  the  other  things  which  they  need. 


In   a  Vi 


6.  There  is  not  much  to  be  seen,  only  the  mill-pond, 
which  has  been  made  by  building  a  dam  across  one  of 
the  brooks  we  have  passed,  and  the  mill  beside  it,  to 
which  the  farmers  bring  their  grain.  A  little  way  oflF, 
are  the  blacksmith's  shop  and  the  post-office^  where  three 
or  four  farmers  are  standing,  talking  over  the  news 
while  waiting  for  their  grain  to  be  ground,  or  for  their 
horses  to  be  shod  by  the  blacksmith. 


G  GEOGRAPHICAL   EEABEU. 


7.  Toward  night  we  see  the  land  before  us  rising 
higher  and  higher,  so  that  if  one  above  should  loosen 
a  stone,  it  would  roll  all  the  way  down  to  us.  Our 
horses  begin  to  go  slowly,  for  it  is  hard  drawing  the 
carriage  up  this  road.  Do  you  know  what  it  is  to 
which  we  have  come  ?  Of  course  you  do.  It  is  a 
hill^  and  we  call  it  so  because  it  is  higher  than  the  rest 
of  the  land.  We  first  come  to  the  foot  of  the  hill ; 
then  we  go  up  the  slope^  and  finally  we  are  at  the  top^ 
and  we  shall  soon  begin  to  go  down  the  other  side. 


II. -UPON  THE  HILL-TOP. 

ho-ri'-zon.  I        At-lan'-tic.  I        o'-cean  [-shiui], 

pal-met'-to.  |        A-mer'-i-ca.  |        Pa-cif'-ic. 

1.  Let  us  try  what  we  can  see  from  this  hill-top.  First 
look  behind.  There  is  the  country  through  which  we 
have  been  driving  all  the  morning.  There  are  many 
farms  and  farmhouses;  many  little  villages  scattered 
here  and  there,  roads  leading  from  one  place  to  another 
in  all  directions,  and  railroads  crossing  the  country  in 
long,  straight  lines.  There  are  also  scattering  groves 
that  look  very  fresh  and  pleasant  among  the  gardens 
and  yellow  grain-fields^  and  brooks  that  shine  in  the 
sunlight  like  silver. 

2.  We  can  now  see  much  more  of  the  country  than 
was  in  sight  along  the  way  as  we  were  riding ;  because 
it  is  below  us,  and  we  can  look  down  upon  the  whole 
of  it  at  once.  Compared  with  these  hills,  it  seems  quite 
flat  and  level;  but  there  are  many  swells  and  hollows 


UPON   THE  HILL-TOP. 


all  over  it.     Do  you  know  what  to  call  a  broad,  low 
land  like  this  ?     It  is  a  plain. 

3.  You  notice  that  the  earth,  at  a  distance  from  us  as 
far  as  we  can  see,  seems  to  be  just  against  the  sky.  Do 
you  suppose  the  sky  comes  down  there  and  touches  the 
earth?     No,  it  only  seems  to  do  so.     Look  all  around. 


The  Plain  and  Hills. 

and  you  will  see  that  on  every  side  it  is  the  same.  We 
seem  to  be  in  the  middle  of  a  circle,  with  the  sky 
touching  the  ground  on  all  sides  of  us ;  just  like  a  fly 
on  a  plate  with  a  bowl  turned  over  it. 

4.  You  must  remember  that  this  only  seems  so.  If 
you  should  go  where  the  sky  now  appears  to  touch  the 
earth,  you  would  find  it  to  be  just  as  high,  and  just  as 
far  off,  as  ever.     Some  time,  when  you  are  older,  you 


8  GEOGRAPHICAL   READER. 


will  understand  why  this  is  so :  now  you  can  only  re- 
member it.  Try  to  remember,  also,  that  the  line  where 
the  earth  and  sky  seem  to  meet,  is  called  the  horizon. 

5.  That  part  of  the  horizon  where  you  see  the  sun 
rise,  is  called  east.  Where  it  sets,  is  west.  The  sun  at 
noon  is  in  the  souths  and  high  in  the  sky. 

Now,  if  you  stand  with  your  right  hand  toward  the 
east  and  your  left  toward  the  west,  you  will  face  the 
norths  and  the  south  will  be  behind  jou.  If  you  re- 
member these  points,  you  will  always  be  able  to  know 
in  what  direction  you  are  travelling,  and  can  describe 
your  journey  so  that  other  persons  who  may  wish  to  do 
so,  can  follow  your  route. 

6.  We  came  from  the  east.  We  are  going  toward  the 
west.  That  plain  which  you  see,  stretches  far  away  to 
the  east,  much  beyond  the  place  at  which  we  started. 
We  are  now  near  the  western  border  of  it.  Away  on 
the  eastern  border,  is  an  immense  body  of  water.  It  is 
called  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  and  this  plain  is  called  the 
Atlantic  Plain  because  it  borders  upon  the  Atlantic 
Ocean.  The  part  of  the  plain  over  which  we  have 
travelled  is  named  New  Jersey.  It  is  only  a  very  small 
part  of  the  Atlantic  Plain. 

7.  This  great  plain  extends  hundreds  of  miles  to  the 
north  and  the  south,  and  is  everywhere  somewhat  level ; 
but  it  has  not,  in  all  parts,  the  same  kinds  of  trees  and 
animals,  nor  the  same  pretty  farmhouses,  villages,  and 
smooth  roads. 

8.  In  some  places,  away  to  the  south,  you  will  find, 
for  miles  and  miles,  nothing  but  tall,  dark  pine-trees. 
There  are  no  farms,  no  villages,  but  only  the  little 
cabins  in  which  the  people  live  who  gather  the  turpen- 
tine from  the  pine-trees. 


IN  THE  LOW  PLAIN, 


9 


9.  In  other  places,  still  farther  south,  there  are,  for 
many  miles,  only  great  swamps,  where  the  black  earth 
is  so  wet  and  soft  that,  should  you  step  on  it,  your 
feet  would  sink,  and  you  might  never  be  able  to  get 
out.  In  these  swamps  are  tall  trees,  with  long  moss 
trailing  from  the  branches ;  and  many  kinds  of  flowers, 
growing  in  the  water  like  the  beautiful  white  water- 
lily.     There  are,  also,  curious  birds,  with  legs  so  long 


A  Rice-Field. 

that  they  seem  to  be  walking  on  stilts.  These  are  given 
them  so  that  they  can  wade  in  the  water  to  find  their 
food. 

10.  In  the  parts  which  are  not  swampy,  oranges  and 
lemons  grow ;  and  the  palmetto^  which  is  very  different 
from  any  of  the  trees  in  the  North.  It  is  a  kind  of 
palm-tree,  and  can  grow  only  in  warm  countries.  There 
are,  also,  places  where  you  will  find  large  fields  of  rice. 
This  grows  only  in  the  low  lands  near  the  sea,  which 
are  often  overflowed.  When  seen  growing,  it  looks 
much  like  a  field  of  wheat  or  tall  grass. 


10  GEOGRAPHICAL  READEJR. 


11.  Far  to  the  south,  there  is  no  winter.  Instead  of 
skating  and  sleigh-rides  on  Christmas  and  New- Year's, 
people  are  working  in  their  fields  and  gardens ;  and  a 
few  days  later  the  ground  is  green  with  growing  plants, 
and  the  roses  and  other  flowers  are  in  bloom.  How 
would  you  like  to  live  in  such  a  place? 

12.  This  great,  rich,  and  beautiful  plain  is  only  one 
small  portion  of  our  country.  Do  you  know  what  the 
name  of  our  whole  great  country  is  ?  It  is  the  United 
States  of  America.  It  reaches  north  and  south  as 
many  as  fifteen  hundred  miles,  through  the  very  best 
part  of  a  great  land,  called  North  America ;  and  it 
stretches  east  and  west  twenty-five  hundred  miles,  from 
the  borders  of  the  Alantic  Ocean  to  another  great  ocean, 
called  the  Pacific, 


III. -AMONG  THE  HILLS  AND  VALLEYS. 

Tren'-ton.  I     Del'-a-ware  [-wur'\.     I      Phil-a-der-phi-a. 

Fair'-moimt.  |     In-de-pend'-ence.        |      Schuyl'-kill  [skooV], 

1.  We  have  spent  a  long  time  on  the  hill-top,  looking 
back  toward  the  east,  and  studying  the  plain.  Now 
we  must  go  on  with  our  journey.  But  the  country 
through  which  we  now  pass,  is  quite  unlike  that  which 
we  left  behind  us.  It  is  not  so  pleasant  to  be  going  up 
and  down,  up  and  down,  for  hours  together.  But  that 
is  what  we  must  do  here ;  for  there  are  many  ridges  to 
be  crossed,  and,  almost  as  soon  as  we  are  over  one,  we 
find  another  to  be  climbed. 

2.  As  we  go  down  the  long  slope  of  this  first  ridge, 
do  you  notice  the  green  belt  of  land  at  the  bottom, 


AMONG    THE  HILLS  AND    VALLEYS. 


11 


before  the  slope  begins  to  rise  to  the  next  ridge  ? 
How  pretty  it  is !  And  there,  in  the  lowest  part,  is  a 
lovely  stream  of  water.  These  belts  of  lower  land, 
between  the  higher  grounds,  are  called  valleys.  If  we 
were  going  along  the  valley,  we  could  follow  it  for  a 
long  distance,  by  the  side  of  its  beautiful  stream. 
Sometimes  the  hills  on  each  side  would  be  nearer, 
sometimes   farther  apart ;    and  everywhere  we    should 


The  City  of  Trenton. 

see  farms  and  villages,  just  as  we  saw  them  in  the 
plain  farther  east,  for  the  valley  is  just  like  the  plain, 
except  that  it  is  narrower. 

3.  We  cross  ridge  after  ridge,  and  valley  after  valley. 
Finally  we  descend  a  long,  gentle  slope ;  and  there, 
spread  out  under  our  eyes,  is  a  valley,  wider  and  more 
lovely,  and  a  stream  greater,  than  any  of  those  we  have 
passed.  This  stream  is  named  the  Delaware  River  ;  for 
large  streams  are  called  rivers,  and  not  brooks. 

4.  Here  is  a  fine  village  on  the  river-bank  ;  and  at  this 
place  we  will  take  the  railroad,  and  follow  the  valley 


12  GEOGRAPHICAL  HEADER. 


toward  the  sea.  We  see,  on  the  banks  of  the  stream, 
several  hirge  and  busy  villages,  and  some  still  larger 
and  busier  phxces,  called  cities, 

5.  As  the  river  goes  on,  it  grows  larger  and  larger ; 
for  brooks  and  smaller  rivers,  one  after  another,  flow 
into  it.  Thus  larger  and  larger  vessels  can  sail  on  it, 
and  more  and  more  kinds  of  business  can  be  done  in 
the  places  on  its  banks.  So  we  do  not  wonder  at  all 
when  we  come  to  cities  that  are  bigger  and  more  full  of 
business  than  any  which  we  have  before  seen. 

G.  Here  is  a  city  named  Trenton,  It  is  built  just 
where  the  Delaware  has  become  deep  and  wide  enough 
for  ships  and  steamboats  to  move  about  in  its  waters. 
We  now  change  to  another  railroad.  This  carries  us 
across  the  river,  and  on,  south-westward,  to  a  much 
greater  city,  built  beside  the  Delaware,  nearer  the  sea. 
This  is  Philadelphia,  the  largest  city  in  our  country 
excepting  one ;   and  that  is  New  Yoek. 

7.  Here  we  see  mile  after  mile  of  streets  paved  with 
pieces  of  stone  to  keep  them  firm  and  smooth.  On 
each  side  of  the  streets,  are  walks  which  are  thronged 
with  people  hurrying  to  and  fro.  In  some  of  the 
streets,  are  lines  of  railroad.  On  the  rails,  are  long 
cars  drawn  by  horses,  and  filled  with  people  who  have 
too  far  to  go,  or  are  too  much  in  haste,  to  walk. 

8.  Beside  the  streets,  are  long  rows  of  tall  houses, 
standing  so  close  together  that  they  touch  each  other, 
and  look  like  only  one  great  building.  There  is  no 
room  for  flower-gardens  around  the  houses,  such  as  we 
have  seen  in  the  villages  and  small  cities.  The  houses, 
too,  are  so  much  alike,  that,  if  it  were  not  for  their 
numbers,  a  person  might  easily  mistake  some  other 
house  for  his  own. 


AMONG    THE  UILLS  AND    VALLEYS. 


13 


9.  On  other  streets  there  are  rows  of  great  stores, 
where  thousands  of  people  are  busy  all  day,  buying  and 
selling  all  sorts  of  goods ;  and  mills  and  factories,  where 
other  thousands  are  making  nearly  every  kind  of  thing 
you  could  name.  Railroads  come  into  the  city  from 
almost  every  direction ;  and  there  are  different  stations, 


Chestnut-street  Bridge,  Philadelphia. 

where  the  trains  stop.  At  all  these,  are  crowds  of  men 
moving  cars,  or  handling  goods  which  are  to  be  carried 
away  by  the  railroads,  or  storing  those  which  the  cars 
have  brought.  At  the  wharves  along  the  river,  are 
other  men  working  about  the  vessels  which  have  come 
in,  or  are  going  out,  laden  with  goods.  Here,  too,  are 
hundreds   of  churches   and   school-houses,  hotels   and 


14  GEOGRAPniCAL  BEABEB. 


markets,  and  other  buildings  for  the  use  of  the  people. 
What  a  wonderful  place  a  great  city  is  I 

10.  But,  where  many  people  live  in  one  place,  there 
are  always  some  bad  and  troublesome  persons,  Avho 
must  be  kept  from  doing  harm.  So  the  city  has  police- 
men to  look  after  them.  Besides  these,  there  are  the 
mayor  and  aldermen,  and  many  other  officers,  whose 
duty  it  is  to  attend  to  the  public  business.  All  these 
officers  together  make  up  what  is  called  the  government 
of  the  city. 

11.  There  are  many  other  things  in  Philadelphia  which 
you  would  like  to  see  and  learn  about,  if  there  were 
time.  There  is  the  beautiful  Fairmount  Park,  and  there 
is  an  old  building  called  "  Independence  Hall,"  in  each 
of  which  something  very  interesting  and  important  was 
done.  Then  there  was  a  famous  printer  who  lived  here 
a  hundred  years  ago.  See  what  you  can  learn  about 
these  places,  and  about  the  famous  old  printer. 

12.  The  Schuylkill^  a  small  river  which  joins  the  Dela- 
ware, flows  through  Philadelphia.  A  number  of  fine 
bridges  cross  it,  uniting  the  parts  of  the  city  which  it 
separates.     The  Chesnut-street  bridge  is  one  of  them. 


IV. -AMONG  THE  MOUNTAINS  AND  MINES. 

gor'-ges  [-jez].  I   Sus-que-han'-na[-na7i].    I    Har'-ris-burg. 

Penn-syl-va'-ni-a.      |   Ap-pa-la'-chi-an.  |   ma-chine'  [sheen''], 

1.  Now  that  we  are  ready  to  leave  Philadelphia,  we 
can  take  a  train  in  the  western  part  of  the  city,  which 
will  carry  us  westward  as  fast  as  we  wish  to  go. 


AMONG    THE  MOUNTAINS  AND  MINES.  15 


2.  At  first  the  road  leads  through  a  most  beautiful 
country ;  and  the  pretty  houses,  and  bright  flowers,  and 
smooth  green  fields,  and  lovely  groves,  seem  like  some 
pleasant  park,  rather  than  like  the  borders  of  a  great 
city.  By  and  by  we  find  our  way  lying  through  rough 
hills.  The  road  winds  among  them,  finding  break  after 
break  in  the  ridges,  through  which  we  cross  from  one 
valley  to  another. 

3.  At  length  we  enter  a  broad  valley,  on  each  side  of 
which  is  a  great  wall  of  very  high  land.  Along  the  tops 
of  these  walls  are  notches^  so  that  some  parts  are  much 
lower  than  others ;  but  even  the  lowest  parts  are  much 
higher  than  any  hill  which  we  have  yet  seen.  What  can 
be  the  name  of  such  land  as  this?  You  have  heard  of 
mountains  perhaps.  Each  of  these  ^reat  solid  walls 
of  high  land  is  a  mountain-range.  The  high  parts  are 
called  mountains^  or  peaks  ;  the  low  notches,  passes^  that 
is,  crossing-places. 

4.  The  mountains  are  much  steeper,  as  well  as  higher, 
than  the  hills.  They  are  also  covered  with  great  for- 
ests. Wherever  we  look,  we  see  only  trees  from  the 
bottom  to  the  top.  What  can  be  the  reason  the  moun- 
tains are  covered  with  forests,  while  on  the  plain  and 
hills,  and  in  the  valleys,  there  is  only  here  and  there  a 
little  grove?  There  were  once  forests  all  over  those 
regions,  as  well  as  upon  the  mountains;  but  they 
have  been  cut  down  to  make  room  for  the  farms  that 
now  cover  the  land.  We  will  try,  by  and  by,  to  learn 
why  the  forests  have  been  left  upon  the  mountains. 

5.  After  a  time  we  find  a  fine  river,  named  the  Sus- 
quehanna., flowing  directly  across  the  valley.  It  makes 
its  way  to  the  sea  through  -breaks   in   the    mountain- 


16  GEOGBAPHICAL   HEADER. 


ranges,  such  as  we  saw  in  the  hills  from  the  cars. 
These  are  often  just  Avicle  enough  for  the  river  to  pass, 
and  some  are  very  grand.  Such  breaks  are  usually 
called  gorges^  but  in  these  mountains  they  are  also 
called  water-gaps, 

6.  On  the  Susquehanna,  is  the  city  of  Harrishurg.     If 
we  go  about,  to  learn  what  the  people  are  doing,  we 


On  the  Susquehanna  River,  above  Harrisburg. 

shall  find,  in  all  parts  of  it,  great  furnaces,  where  hun- 
dreds of  men  are  at  work,  melting  something  that  looks 
like  black  stone.  Should  you  lift  it,  you  would  find  it 
much  heavier  than  stone.  It  is  called  iron  ore^  and  is 
very  abundant  in  the  mountains  and  hills  which  we  saw 
on  our  way  here. 

7.  Iron  is  obtained  from  the  ore  by  melting  it  in  a 


AMONG    THE  MOUNTAINS  AND  ^flNES.  17 


furnace  heated  by  coal.  The  coal  used  in  the  furnaces 
is  also  found  in  the  mountains  of  Penns^dvania.  It  is 
a  great  benefit  to  Harrisburg  to  be  near  the  coal  and 
iron  mines,  and  on  that  account  many  people  come  here 
to  live.  The  cit}^  contains  large  iron-works,  in  which 
hundreds  of  men  are  constantly  employed. 

8.  We  now  leave  Harrisburg,  and  continue  our  way 
Avestward,  across  the  valley.  We  soon  reach  the  moun- 
tains, and  can  see  of  what  they  are  made.  They  are 
not  of  soft  earth,  like  the  plain  and  the  valley ;  nor  of 
earth  and  rock  mingled,  like  the  liills:  but  they  are 
made  up  of  masses  of  rock,  some  lying  one  way  and 
some  another,  with  only  a  little  soil  upon  and  between 
them. 

0.  We  called  the  mountain-range  a  wall  when  we  saw 
it  at  a  distance.  You  see  it  is  a  solid  stone  wall.  The 
rocks  do  not  all  look  alike.  Some  are  one  great  shape- 
less mass  of  solid  stone  ;  and  some  are  made  up  of  layers, 
like  very  thick  slates  joined  together.  In  some  of  these 
masses  the  layers  are  mostly  level,  like  a  floor ;  in 
others  they  are  inclined,  as  if  leaning  one  on  another ; 
and  in  still  others  they  stand  nearly  erect,  like  the 
walls  of  a  house. 

10.  What  coidd  have  lifted  them,  and  tossed  them 
about  in  this  way?  You  would  not  now  understand  if 
one  should  tell  you.  But  you  must  try  to  remember 
how  these  rocks  appear,  and  wlien  you  are  older  you 
will  learn  how  they  came  to  look  as  they  now  do.  We 
wondered  why  the  forests  were  left  growing  upon  the 
mountains.  It  is  because  the  mountains  are  so  very 
rough  and  rocky  that  we  could  not  well  have  farms  and 
gardens  upon  them. 


18  GEOGRAPHICAL   HEADER. 


11.  Now  we  have  crossed  the  mountain-range,  and  have 
entered  another  narrow  valley,  beyond  which  is  another 
range,  Avith  its  rounded  peaks  covered  with  forests. 
This,  too,  we  cross;  and,  as  we  go  on  westward,  we 
find  other  valleys  and  other  ranges  of  the  same  kind, 
side  by  side,  like  great  folds  or  wrinkles  in  the  surface 
of  the  earth. 

12.  Now  we  reach  the  highest  range  of  all.  This  we 
cannot  cross  through  any  gorge  or  valley ;  but  we  must 
climb  the  slope,  and  go  over  it.  The  road  winds  about, 
back  and  forth,  up  and  up ;  and,  when  we  are  near  the 
top,  our  train  dashes  into  a  tunnel  cut  through  the  solid 
rock,  and  comes  out  at  the  other  end,  ready  to  descend 
the  long  westward  slope. 

13.  These  ranges  extend  far  to  the  south,  and  far  to 
the  north, -almost  to  the  borders  of  our  country.  If  we 
should  travel  throughout  their  entire  length  we  should 
find  them  everywhere  very  much  alike,  with  their 
rounded  summits  and  their  covering  of  forests,  and  with 
long,  narrow,  and  rich  valleys  between  them.  All  of 
these  ranges  together  are  called  a  moiint?im-S2/stem, 
This  is  the  Ajjpalachian  mountain-system.  We  shall 
find  other  mountains,  very  different  from  these.  Try  to 
remember  how  these  appear. 

14.  The  mountains  and  hills  of  Pennsylvania  contain 
immense  beds  of  coal.  They  lie  in  separate,  and  some- 
times very  thick,  sheets,  with  layers  of  rock  above  and 
between  them.  In  some  places  they  are  deep  in  the 
earth ;  but  in  others  they  reach  the  surface,  and  their 
black  ^dges  can  be  seen  between  the  beds  of  rock,  in  the 
mountain-side  or  river-banks.  Places  in  which  coal  is 
taken  out  from  under  the  ground  are  called  coal-mines. 


AMONG    THE  MOUNTAINS  AND  MINES.  19 


15.  When  coal  is  found  near  the  surface,  it  may  very 
easily  be  taken  out  from  between  the  layers  of  rock ; 
but,  when  it  lies  deep,  a  hole,  like  a  well,  is  dug  down 
to  it.  This  entrance  is  called  a  shaft.  Now  a  machine 
for  drawing  up  the  coal  is  placed  at  the  top  of  the  shaft, 
and  then  the  mine  is  ready  for  the  workmen.  They 
break  the  coal  from  the  beds  in  large  masses,  which 
are  drawn  up  the  shaft,  and  afterwards  crushed  by 
machinery. 

16.  Beyond  the  last  range  of  mountains,  is  the  large 
city  of  Pittsburg,  It  is  built  where  two  small  rivers 
unite,  and  form  a  greater  one,  named  the  Ohio.  Pitts- 
burg contains  many  great  mills  and  forges,  for  working 
iron.  The  sound  of  the  heavy  machinery  is  never 
stilled,  and  black  clouds  of  smoke  from  the  tall  chim- 
neys constantly  fill  the  air. 

17.  Before  we  reach  Pittsburg,  we  notice  that  the 
mountains  gradually  become  lower  and  lower.  Beyond 
it  the  country  is  made  up  of  low  ridges  of  hills,  and 
wide,  green  valleys.  It  is  very  beautiful,  with  its  pleas- 
ant groves  and  bright  streams,  among  which  are  grain- 
fields  and  meadows,  and  pastures  covered  with  horses, 
cattle,  and  sheep.  In  the  country  north  of  Pittsburg, 
are  singular  wells,  from  which  mineral  oil  is  pumped 
instead  of  water.     Kerosene  is  made  from  it. 


20  GEOGRAPHICAL   BEABEB. 


v.— TN  THE  ROLLING  PLAINS. 

de-li'-cious  {-lish' -us].    I     un'-du-la-ting.  I     Cin-cin-na'-ti. 

trans-por-ta'-tion.         |     to-bac'-co.  |     [Sin-sin-nah'-ii]. 

1.  The  State  which  lies  next  west  of  Pennsylvania,  is 
Ohio.  It  is  a  part  of  a  great  plain  which  lies  on  the 
west  side  of  the  Appalachian  Mountains,  but  is  very 
different  from  the  Atlantic  Plain.  It  is  made  up  of 
low,  round  hills,  not  much  higher  than  the  rest  of  the 
land,  with  long,  gentle  slopes,  and  wide  valleys  between 
them.  A  surface  of  this  kind,  is  called  a  rolling^  or 
undulating  plain. 

2.  This  plain  reaches  westward  for  hundreds  of  miles, 
all  through  the  middle  part  of  the  United  States,  stretch- 
ing as  far  as  the  Rocky  Mountains.  For  this  reason,  it 
has  been  named  the  Great  Central  Plain,  But  the  differ- 
ent parts  of  it  are  very  unlike.  Most  of  the  country  is 
a  rolling  surface,  like  Ohio  ;  but  many  parts  are  as  level 
as  the  flattest  portions  of  the  Atlantic  Plain. 

3.  These  flat  lands  lie  along  the  borders  of  rivers  and 
great  lakes,  and  were  formed  in  some  way  by  them,  as 
the  flat  lands  of  the  Atlantic  Plain  were  made  by  the 
rivers  and  the  ocean  Avorking  together.  When  you  are 
older,  you  can  learn  just  how  this  was  done ;  but  now 
you  could  not  understand  it  if  you  were  told.  Perhaps 
you  can  find  out  where  some  other  flat  plains  lie,  on  the 
border  of  a  distant  ocean,  where  people  find  in  the 
ground  some  very  interesting  things.  Learn  all  you  can 
about  them. 

4.  As  the  country  is  unlike  in  different  parts  of  the 


IN  THE  ROLLING  PLAINS, 


21 


Central  Plain,  so  the  kinds  of  work  done,  and  the  things 
which  you  will  see  growing,  are  very  unlike.  In  some 
parts  of  it,  are  immense  fields  of  wheat  and  corn,  stretch- 
ing, on  every  side,  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach.  In  other 
places,  are  pastures,  where  thousands  of  horses,  sheep, 
cattle,  and  hogs,  are  feeding;  and  in  still  another 
part,  the  hillsides  and  valleys  are  planted  with  grape- 


A  Country  View  In  Ohio. 

vines,  from  which  the  most  delicious,  juicy  grapes  are 
gathered.  Some  of  these  are  put  up  carefully  in  little 
boxes,  and  sent  to  parts  of  the  country  where  grapes 
do  not  grow  so  well;  but  most  of  them  are  used  to 
make  wine. 

5.  In  some  places,  there  are  immense  fields  of  flax^ 
hemp^  and  tobacco.  The  flax  is  very  beautiful.  Were 
you  to  see  a  broad  field  of  it,  with  the  slender  stalks, 


22 


GEOGBAPHICAL   UEABEB. 


tipped  with  blue  flowers,  waving  in  the  wind,  you  would 
almost  think  you  were  looking  at  a  blue  lake. 

6.  On  the  southern  border  of  Ohio,  in  the  midst  of 
the  grape  region,  is  the  great  city  of  Cincinnati.  It  is 
built  beside  the  beautiful  Ohio  River ^  and  h  one  of  the 

busiest  cities  of  the 
United  States.  All 
summer  long,  boats 
are  constantly  com- 
ing and  going,  bear- 
ing goods  to  and 
from  the  city. 

7.  Can  you  think 
what  the  people  of 
Cincinnati  have  jto 
send  away  in  such 
quantities  ?  They 
have  the  wines  from 
the  grape-country 
about  them ;  but, 
what  is  more  im- 
portant, they  have, 
from  the  fine  pas- 
tures all  over  the 
State,  hundreds 
and  thousands  of 
barrels  of  beef  and 
pork,  and  great  sacks  of  wool,  and  quantities  of  fine 
butter  and  cheese. 

8.  Besides  these  things,  they  have  also  the  wheat  and 
corn  from  the  grain-fields.  Thus  they  easily  find  loads 
for  all  the  boats  they  wish  to  employ.     But  the  river 


On  the  Ohio  River. 


ABOUT  THE  SPBINGS  AND   BROOKS.  23 


is  not  the  only  means  of  transportation,  for  railroads 
enter  the  city  from  all  directions. 

9.  All  over  the  greater  part  of  this  plain,  as  well  as  on 
the  Atlantic  Plain,  are  many  pretty  villages  and  great 
cities,  with  multitudes  of  busy  people.  Some  are  work- 
ing in  mines,  some  are  making  all  sorts  of  useful  or 
beautiful  articles,  and  some  are  buying  and  selling 
goods.     All  are  very  active  at  one  thing  or  another. 


t5 


VI. -ABOUT  THE  SPRINGS  AND  BROOKS.  * 

Mis-sis-sip'-pi.  |       I-tas'-ca  [-cah],         \       is'-land  [V-land]. 

1.  The  surface  of  the  Great  Central  Plain  is  every- 
where cut  by  green  valleys,  with  clear,  bright  streams 
flowing  through  them,  just  as  in  the  valleys  among  the 
mountains.  Let  us  talk  a  little  about  these  streams. 
We  would  like  to  learn  whence  they  come,  and  whither 
they  are  going. 

2.  Do  you  remember  ever  seeing,  on  the  sides  of  hills 
or  mountains,  places  where  the  water  comes  from  among 
the  rocks,  in  little  streams  cool  and  clear  ?  We  call  such 
places  springs^  you  know.  There  are  very  many  of  them 
in  all  the  hills  and  mountains  that  we  have  passed ;  and 
from  every  one,  flows  a  little  brook  of  clear,  cool  water. 
These  brooks  that  flow  through  the  little  valleys,  by 
and  by  flow  together  into  one  greater  valley ;  and  thus 
they  form  the  rivers. 

3.  The  Ohio  River,  on  which  Cincinnati  is  built,  is 
formed  by  many  smaller  rivers,  which  are  made  by  many 
little  brooks  flowing  from  the  springs  in  the  Appalachian 


24  GEOGRAPHICAL    READER. 


Mountains.  But  the  hills  and  mountains  are  earth  and 
rock,  not  water.  Where,  then,  can  the  water  of  the 
springs  come  from?  Perhaps  we  shall  learn  that  by 
and  by.     See  if  you  can  find  it  out. 

4.  Away  in  a  forest  of  pine-woods,  almost  on  the 
northern  border  of  our  country,  is  a  great  number  of 
springs.  The  hills  from  which  these  springs  issue,  are 
not  high,  steep,  and  rocky,  like  those  near  the  Appala- 
chian Mountains ;  but  they  are  low  and  rounded,  and 
made  of  sand  and  clay.  Little  streams  flow  from  the 
springs  in  these  hills,  into  a  hollow,  where  they  make 
a  very  small  pond, 

5.  This  pond  is  the  place  where  the  great  Missis- 
sippi River  begins  its  journe}^  to  the  ocean.  From  it 
flows  a  little  brook,  so  small,  one  could  easily  leap  across 
it.  You  would  hardly  believe  that  this  tiny  stream 
would  become,  on  its  way  to  the  ocean,  a  great  river, 
large  enough  to  carry  heavy  steamboats  for  thousands 
of  miles. 

6.  Now,  it  cannot  bear  even  a  little  boat,  as  it  dances 
along  over  its  gravelly  bed,  under  the  shadow  of  the 
pine-woods.  The  banks  on  each  side  of  the  stream  are 
covered  with  a  soft  carpet  of  bright  green  moss ;  and 
pretty  wild  flowers  bend  over  the  water.  Many  fallen 
trees  lie  across  the  brook ;  and  low  shrubs  and  bushes 
hang  over  it,  so  that,  in  some  places,  it  is  almost  hidden 
by  them. 

7.  After  this  brook  has  gone  a  distance  of  six  miles, 
it  finds  another  small,  basin-shaped  hollow,  into  which  it 
flows.  Four  other  little  streams  flow  into  the  same 
basin ;  and  their  waters  spread  out  and  fill  it,  forming 
a  beautiful   lake.     This  is  Itasca   Lake.     It  is  usually 


ABOUT   THE  SPRINGS  AND  BROOKS. 


25 


called  the  source^  or  beginning,  of  the  Mississippi ;  but 
the  real  source  is  the  tiny  pond  that  is  formed  by  the 
springs  among  the  pines. 

8.  Some  parts  of  the  shore  are  low,  almost  even  with 
the  water  ;  but  in  other  places  hills  rise  from  the  edge 
of  the  lake.  The  low  shore  is  covered  with  bushes, 
grass,  and  flowers, 
and  the  hills,  with 
tall  pine-trees.  In 
the  middle  of  the 
lake,  is  a  small 
piece  of  land,  also 
covered  with  tall 
trees.  That  is  an 
island.  You  have 
perhaps  seen  is- 
lands in  little 
streams  in  the 
woods  and  mead- 
ows. 

9.  If  we  were  to 
come  here  in  win- 
ter, we  should  find 
this  place  looking 
very  different.  The  pretty  lake,  and  all  the  streams 
flowing  into  it,  would  be  covered  with  thick  ice.  The 
grass  and  low  bushes  would  be  buried  out  of  sight,  the 
flowers  dead,  and  the  pine-trees  wrapped  in  hoods  and 
mantles  of  snow.  Thus  they  sleep  all  through  the  long 
winter  of  four  or  five  months,  until  the  return  of  spring 
awakens  them  to  new  life. 


Itasca  Lake. 


26  GEOGBAPUICAL    READER. 


VII.-ON  THE  UPPER  MISSISSIPPI. 

ca-noe'  [-noo'].  i     trib'-u-ta-ries.  i     St.  An'-tho-ny. 

prec'-i-pice  [pres'-].     I     Min-ne-ap'-o-lis.         I     [Saint  An'-to-ni.] 

1.  In  order  to  learn  something  more  about  brooks 
and  rivers,  let  lis  take  a  journey  down  the  Upper  Mis- 
sissippi, starting  from  Itasca  Lake.  But  what  shall  we 
travel  in  ?  The  river  at  first  is  not  big  enough  to  carry 
even  the  smallest  kind  of  a  steamboat  or  sailing-vessel : 
so  we  must  get  a  little  boat  called  a  canoe^  which  is 
moved  by  paddles.  We  shall  easily  find  somebody  to 
paddle  us  down  the  river. 

2.  Mile  after  mile  we  glide  along,  through  the  wild 
forest  and  the  bright,  sunny  openings.  We  pass  the 
mouth  of  many  a  smaller  brook  which  pours  its  clear 
waters  intQ  the  Mississippi,  and  so  it  grows  larger  and 
larger  as  we  go  on.  These  streams,  which  bring  their 
waters  to  it,  are  called  tributaries  of  the  river. 

3.  We  have  now  come  to  a  place  where  great  rocks 
lie  in  the  middle  of  the  stream,  and  the  water  foams 
and  dashes  through  the  narrow  passages  between  them, 
so  that  we  expect  every  moment  to  be  driven  against 
them,  and  have  our  boat  broken  in  pieces.  The  cur- 
rent is  so  swift,  that,  in  some  places,  the  men  cannot 
keep  the  boat  off  from  the  rocks  with  the  paddles,  but 
must  wade  in  the  stream  to  guide  it  through  the  narrow 
channels. 

4.  The  bottom,  or  bed,  of  the  river  is  very  sloping ; 
and  that  is  the  reason  the  water  moves  over  it  so  rapidly, 
just  as  your  sled  goes  more  swiftly  down  a  steep  hill 


ON   THE    UPPER   MISSISSIPPI.  27 


than  on  a  more  gentle  slope.     The  boatmen  call  this 
place  the  Rapids.     Can  3^ou  think  why  it  is  called  so  ? 

5.  By  and  by  we  have  passed  the  Rapids,  and  the  river 
is  broad  and  gentle ;  and,  here  and  there,  it  spreads  out 
into  beautiful  lakes,  with  green  islands  in  them.  Their 
shores  of  white  sand  glisten  like  snow  in  the  sunshine ; 
and  trees  of  elm  and  maple,  with  bright  green  leaves 
and  slender  branches  waving  in  the  wind,  make  pretty 
groves  upon  their  borders. 

6.  After  we  have  gone  on  for  many,  many  miles,  we 
reach  a  place  where  the  river  is  quite  narrow,  and  the 
banks  are  somewhat  steep.  The  boatmen  tell  us  we 
must  walk  for  a  short  distance ;  and,  after  we  have 
left  the  canoe,  they  draw  it  up  to  the  bank,  and  take  it 
on  their  heads  to  carry  it.  I  wonder  what  that  is  for. 
Perhaps,  on  our  walk,  we  shall' learn  the  reason  of  it. 

7.  We  climb  up  the  bank,  and  find  a  nice  path 
through  the  forest.  Do  you  hear  that  great  roaring 
noise  coming  from  the  river?  Let  us  go  closer,  and  see 
if  we  can  find  what  makes  it.  The  banks  here  are  very 
steep ;  and  we  must  cling  to  the  branches  of  the  trees, 
or  we  shall  fall  over. 

8.  Now  look  back,  up  the  river.  There  is  a  place 
where  the  river's  bed  drops  down  suddenly,  becoming 
much  lower  than  before ;  and  you  see  the  waters  come 
leaping  and  dashing  down  this  long  step,  making  a  great 
foam  and  noise,  just  as  you  have  seen  them  sometimes 
leap  over  a  mill-dam. 

9.  This  is  called  a  waterfall.,  or  cataract;  and  the  steep 
descent  in  the  bed  of  the  river  is  a  precipice.  You 
may  have  seen  little  falls  in  the  brooks,  among  the 
meadows  and  woods:   they  are   called  cascades.     Now 


28 


GEOGRAPHICAL   READER. 


can  you  tell  me  why  we  have  been  obliged  to  walk?  and 
why  the  boatmen  took  their  boat  out  of  the  water,  and 
carried  it,  instead  of  letting  it  carry  them  and  us  ?  The 
boat  could  not  have  come  down  the  falls  without  being 
dashed  in  pieces,  and  we  should  all  have  been  drowned. 


10.  As  we  go  on  from  this  place,  we  find  many  rapids 
and  falls  hindering  our  way ;  and  we  pass  among  lovely 
islands  in  the  bed  of  the  stream,  which  has  now  deep- 
ened, and  spread  out  into  a  large  river.  The  country 
through  which  it  flows,  is  no  longer  covered  with  for- 
ests; but  farms,  villages,  and  small  cities  take  their 
place,  just  as  on  the  rivers  in  the  Atlantic  Plain. 

11.  By  and  by,  after  many  and  many  a  day,  we  find  a 


FROM  ST.   PAUL    TO   ST  LOUIS.  29 


busy,  bustling  city  on  both  sides  of  the  river,  across 
which  a  number  of  bridges  have  been  built.  One  of 
these  is  a  suspension-bridge.,  supported  by  great  ropes 
of  tAvisted  wire,  hung  on  tall  piers.  It  makes  a  way  for 
street-cars,  as  well  as  for  people  and  carriages,  to  cross 
the  stream. 

12.  This  is  the  city  of  Minneapolis ;  and  here  are  St. 
Anthony's  Falls,  the  last  which  the  river  makes  in 
its  course  toward  the  sea.  The  people  who  first  came 
here,  saw  what  a  fine  place  this  would  be  to  build  mills ; 
for  the  water  could  be  made  to  turn  a  vast  number 
of  mill-wheels.  And  now  the  banks  are  crowded  with 
mills,  and  the  water  filled  up  with  logs,  and  the  falls 
hidden  by  timbers,  so  that  one  can  hardly  see  any  of 
the  original  view.  Here  our  canoe-trip  must  end, — 
hundreds  of  miles  from  its  beginning. 

13.  Only  ten  miles  farther  down  the  river,  is  another 
fine  city  named  St.  Paul,  to  which  we  will  go  in  a  car- 
riage. From  St.  Paul,  the  whole  voyage  to  the  sea  can 
be  made  by  steamboat. 


VIII. -FROM  ST.  PAUL  TO  ST.  LOUIS. 

prai'-rie  \_pray'-re\.      \    dan'-ger-ous  [-jer-ns\.    \    Mis-sou'-ri  [-ri\. 

1.  From  the  little  lake  which  makes  the  cradle  of  the 
Mississippi,  all  the  way  to  Minneapolis,  groves  of  trees 
are  everywhere  in  sight ;  and,  once,  nearly  that  whole 
country  was  covered  with  forests.  Southward  from  this 
place,  even  before  the  white  men  came  to  cut  down  the 
trees,  there  were  great  treeless  spaces,  covered  with  rich 
grass  and  bright  flowers. 


30 


GEOGBAPHICAL   HEADER. 


2.  When  tlie  first  white  roan  saw  these  grassy  plains 
along  the  Mississippi,  he  called  them  prairies;  which  in 
his  language,  was  the  name  for  meadows.  They  were 
everywhere  so  smooth  and  green,  and  the  low,  round 
hills  here  and  there,  with  their  clusters  of  trees,  looked 
so  much  like  orchards,  that  it  seemed  almost  as  if 
people  had  lived  here  a  great  while  ago,  and  planted 
these  trees,  and  levelled  these  beautiful  prairies. 


A  Prairie  Farm. 

3.  One  might  have  travelled  many  miles,  east  and 
west  and  south,  and  found  them  everywhere  the  same. 
Many  beautiful  birds  hid  in  the  grass,  or  went  hopping 
about  after  the  seeds  and  the  insects  on  which  they 
fed.  There  were  also  great  droves  of  buffaloes,  that 
fed  upon  the  prairie-grass;  and  curious  little  animals, 
called  prairie-dogs^  made  their  burrows  together,  like 
the  houses  of  a  village. 

4.  Sometimes  in  the  summer,  when  the  grass  was  very 


FROM  ST,   PAUL    TO   ST.    LOUIS.  81 


dry,  a  little  spark  from  a  hunter's  gun  or  pipe  would 
set  it  on  fire.  Then  the  flame  rushed  over  miles  and 
miles  of  land,  burning  every  blade  of  grass,  and  every 
tree  and  shrub ;  and  even  the  animals  could  not  always 
get  out  of  the  way  of  the  fire,  which  went  as  fast  as  the 
wind.  The  burning  prairie  looks  very  grand ;  but  when 
the  flame  is  gone,  and  only  the  bare  black  earth  is  left, 
it  is  very  dreary. 

5.  The  prairie  country,  in  winter,  was  sometimes  one 
vast  sheet  of  snow,  with  only  here  and  there  a  house 
dotting  it,  and  not  a  tree  nor  a  fence  to  mark  one  place 
from  another.  It  was  very  dangerous  then  for  people 
to  try  to  cross  the  prairies ;  for  as  the  roads  were  cov* 
ered  with  snow,  and  there  was  nothing  to  mark  their 
place,  travellers  sometimes  got  lost,  and  were  frozen  to 
death. 

6.  Now  all  this  is  changed ;  and  along  the  Mississippi 
and  far  westward,  where  once  the  wild  prairies  bloomed, 
there  are  busy  cities,  and  pretty  villages,  and  great 
farms  with  immense  fields  of  wheat  and  corn,  stretch- 
ing as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach.  Throughout  the  prairie 
country,  the  gently-sloping  banks  of  the  Mississippi  are 
interrupted  by  steep  walls,  that  rise  on  each  side  far 
above  the  water,  as  though  a  pathway  had  been  cut  foi 
it,  deep  below  the  surface  of  the  plain.  These  high  steep 
slopes  are  called  bluffs, 

7.  The  bluffs  do  not  rise  close  along  both  banks  of  the 
river.  They  are  separated  by  a  broad  band  of  land,  so 
low  and  flat  as  to  be  always  overflowed  when  the  water 
is  a  little  higher  than  usual.  This  is  called  bottom-land. 
Some  parts  of  it  are  great  marshes,  covered  with  tall 
grass,  or  with  thickets  of  cane  that  look  something  like 


32  GEOGBAPHICAL   HEADER. 


fields  of  corn,  though  the  cane  is  much  higher  than 
the  tallest  corn.  Other  parts  are  covered  with  dense 
forests. 

8.  The  river  has  now  become  very  large ;  and,  though 
there  are  no  waterfalls  nor  any  rapids,  it  still  flows  quite 
swiftly.  Its  course,  too,  is  very  winding.  In  some 
places,  it  glides  in  curves  through  the  middle  of  the 
bottom-lands :  in  others,  its  path  is  directly  under  the 
foot  of  the  bluffs,  which  it  is  all  the  time  washing  and 
wearing  away,  carrying  down  to  the  sea  the  earth  and 
rocks  that  fall  from  them. 

9.  Great  trees,  too,  have  the  earth  thus  washed  away 
from  them,  and  are  carried  downward  by  the  waters. 
Sometimes  their  roots  become  fastened  to  the  bottom  of 
the  river,  while  their  sharp  tops,  pointed  down  stream, 
reach  nearly  or  quite  to  the  surface.  These  are  called 
snags.,  and  are  very  dangerous ;  for  steamers  going  up 
stream  may  easily  run  against  them  and  be  wrecked. 

10.  When  we  have  gone  about  half  the  length  of  the 
Mississippi,  and  have  passed  many  rivers  flowing  into 
it  from  both  east  and  west,  we  reach  the  mouth  of  the 
Missouri.,  its  largest  tributary.  This  stream  is  much 
wider  than  that  part  of  the  Mississippi  above  it,  and 
twice  as  long.  Missouri  means  mud  river;  and  as 
the  broad  mass  of  muddy  water  comes  pouring  into  the 
bright,  clear  Mississippi,  we  do  not  at  all  wonder  at 
the  name. 


ON   THE  LOWER  MISSISSIPPI.  83 


IX. -ON  THE  LOWER  MISSISSIPPI. 

St.Lovi'-is[SaintLoo'-is].  I     plan-ta'-tions.  I     al'-li-ga-tors. 

rep'-tiles  [-tilz].  I     New  Or'-le-ans.        I     lev'-ee  [lev'-2j]. 

1.  Below  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri,  is  St  Louis^  the 
largest  city  upon  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi.  It  is 
also  one  of  the  largest  and  best  located  places  in  the 
United  States.  Its  position  on  the  Mississippi  enables 
it  to  send  boats  from  its  wharves,  not  only  to  every  city 
and  village  along  this  river,  but  also  to  those  on  the 
Missouri. 

2.  But  this  is  not  all.  Not  far  below  St.  Louis,  is 
the  mouth  of  the  Ohio^  which  is  also  a  tributary  of  the 
Mississippi.  By  this  stream,  boats  can  be  sent  to  Cin- 
cinnati and  Pittsburg,  and  other  places  on  its  banks. 
Thus,  by  these  three  great  rivers,  and  the  smaller  ones 
flowing  into  them,  St.  Louis  can  easily  trade  with  every 
part  of  the  rich  plain  through  which  they  flow.  Be- 
sides, like  Cincinnati,  railroads  lead  from  this  city  in  all 
directions.  A  long  and  handsome  bridge,with  a  railroad- 
track  as  well  as  a  carriage-way,  crosses  the  Mississippi 
here. 

3.  Below  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio,  the  rich  country 
through  which  the  Mississippi  flows,  begins  to  be  cov- 
ered with  fields  of  cotton,  instead  of  wheat  and  corn. 
In  the  spring,  the  young  plant  may  be  seen  starting  up 
from  the  seeds,  in  long  lines  across  the  fields.  It  grows 
rapidly,  and  puts  forth  branches  like  a  little  tree ;  and 
in  summer  it  is  covered  with  pretty  pale-yellow  flow- 
ers.     Toward   autumn,  instead   of  flowers,  you  see   a 


34  GEOGBAPHICAL   BEADEB. 


round  fruit,  looking  something  like  a  walnut  covered 
with  its  outside  coat.  When  this  fruit  is  ripe,  it  opens ; 
and  the  long  fibres  of  cotton,  in  which  the  seeds  are 
wrapped,  cover  the  plants  like  balls  of  snow. 


Cotton-Picking. 

4.  Now  you  may  see  hundreds  of  negro  men  and 
women,  working  in  the  fields,  picking  the  cotton  care- 
fully from  the  pod  with  their  fingers.  This  is  very  slow 
work ;  and,  as  the  cotton-balls  are  not  all  ripe  at  the  same 
time,  it  lasts  a  long  while.  After  the  cotton  is  picked, 
it  must  be  dried,  and  the  seeds  all  taken  out.  Finally 
it  is  packed  in  great  bundles,  or  hales^  and  is  ready  to 
be  sent  to  the  cotton-mills,  to  be  made  into  cloth. 


ON   THE  LOWEJR   MISSISSIPPI.  35 


5.  The  country  on  each  side  of  the  Lower  Mississippi, 
for  hundreds  of  miles  from  its  mouth,  is  very  low  and 
flat.  It  is  one  great  plain  of  black  earth  and  sand,  in 
which  not  even  a  single  stone  can  be  seen.  The  parts 
near  the  river  are  a  little  higher  than  the  rest;  and 
they  are  covered  with  great  plantations  of  sugar- 
cane, looking  like  fields  of  corn.  Beyond  these,  are 
immense  marshes  covered  with  canebrakes  and  tall 
trees. 

6.  Every  year,  in  the  spring  and  summer,  tlie  streams 
overflow  their  banks ;  and  these  marshes  become  lakes, 
in  which  only  the  tops  of  the  trees  can  be  seen.  Often 
villages  would  be  washed  away,  plantations  covered, 
and  every  thing  destroyed,  were  it  not  for  walls,  called 
levees^  which  are  built  on  the  banks  of  the  river  to 
make  them  higher,  and  prevent  overflowing.  Some- 
times these  levees  are  broken,  and  the  lands  behind 
them  are  covered  with  water,  and  many  people  are 
drowned. 

7.  This  is  a  warm  country,  like  the  southern  part  of 
the  Atlantic  Plain.  The  marshes  and  streams  are 
thronged  with  alligators,  snakes,  turtles,  and  other 
reptiles  ;  and  the  air  swarms  with  troublesome  insects, 

8.  In  this  low  country,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, with  the  sugar- plantations  all  about  it,  is  the  great 
city  of  N'ew  Orleans,  Here  the  planters  bring  their 
hogsheads  of  sugar  and  molasses,  which  are  put  upon 
steamboats  or  sailing-vessels,  and  sent  to  parts  of  the 
country  where  sugar-cane  cannot  grow.  Boats  come 
here,  too,  loaded  with  cotton  from  the  plantations  far- 
ther up  the  river.  This  is  put  in  strong  ships,  and  sent 
to  other  parts  of  our  own  country,  or  across  the  ocean 


36  GEOGBAPHICAL  READER. 


to  distant  countries,  wliere  it  is  made  into  all  kinds 
of  cotton  cloth.  Thus  you  see  that  this,  too,  is  a  very 
active  city.  It  is  also  a  curious  old  town.  You  will 
like  to  learn  more  about  it  when  older. 

9.  We  have  now  travelled  all  the  way  from  the 
source  of  the  Mississippi  to  its  mouth,  about  one  hun- 
dred miles  below  New  Orleans.     This  river  is  so  very 


On  the  Levee  at  New  Orleans. 

long,  that  should  we  start  from  its  source  in  the  spring, 
just  after  the  snow  is  gone,  and  travel  twenty  miles 
every  day,  it  would  be  nearly  fall  before  we  should 
arrive  at  its  mouth.  There  are  but  very  few  rivers 
in  the  whole  world  longer  than  the  Mississippi.  The 
part  of  the  sea  into  which  it  flows,  borders  upon  the 
south  side  of  the  United  States,  and  is  called  the  Grulf 
of  Mexico, 


AT  THE  MOUTU  OF  THE  HUDSON.  37 


10.  Ships  from  other  countries  cross  the  Atlantic 
Ocean  and  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  go  up  the  Missis- 
sippi to  New  Orleans.  There  they  unload  their  cargoes. 
Some  of  the  goods  are  used  in  the  city ;  and  some  are 
put  on  steamboats,  and  sent  up  the  river  to  other  places. 
These  steamboats  return  to  New  Orleans,  loaded  with 
lumber,  wheat,  corn,  tobacco,  cotton,  and  other  things, 
which  are  to  be  carried  by  ships  to  countries  across  the 
ocean. 

11.  Thus,  you  see,  the  rivers  help  to  make  a  pathway, 
not  only  beween  different  parts  of  our  country,  but 
also  to  other  countries  away  beyond  the  ocean.  This 
it  is  which  makes  large  rivers  so  important. 


X.-AT  THE  MOUTH  OF  THE  HUDSON. 
Hud'-son.  I     In'-dian  [ind'-ijcui].    \     anch'-or  [ank'-Qr'\. 

1.  There  is,  in  the  northern  part  of  the  United 
States,  another  river,  which,  though  it  is  only  about  half 
as  long  as  the  part  of  the  Mississippi  above  St.  Anthony's 
Falls,  yet  is  nearly  as  important  as  the  Mississippi  itself. 
It  is  the  Hudson,  It  flows  through  the  eastern  part 
of  the  btate  of  New  York,  from  north  to  south.  At  its ' 
mouth,  on  a  large  island,  is  New  York,  the  largest 
city  in  America. 

2.  Boats  come  down  the  Hudson  to  New  York,  bring- 
ing loads  of  wheat  and  corn  from  the  great  grain-fields 
on  the  prairies ;  loads  of  lumber  from  the  forests  near 
the  sources  of  the  Mississippi ;  and  many  other  things 
which  come  from  the  west  by  the  great  lakes  on  the 


38 


GEOGUAPHICAL   HEADER. 


northern  border  of  the  United  States.  By  the  same 
pathway,  the  silks,  coffee  and  tea,  and  other  things 
that  are  brought  to  New  York  in  ships,  from  countries 
across  the  ocean,  are  sent  to  the  cities  in  the  northern 
and  middle  part  of  our  country.  The  Hudson  is  there- 
fore much  more  important  than  most  other  rivers,  ex- 
cepting the  Mississippi. 


New- York  Harbor. 


8.  New  York,  though  it  is  the  largest  city  in  Ameri- 
ca, is  not  nearly  so  large,  nor  so  old,  as  several  cities  in 
other  countries.  The  first  houses  were  built  there  not 
quite  three  hundred  years  ago,  by  some  Dutch  people 
who  came  from  a  country  on  the  other  side  of  the  At- 
lantic Ocean. 


AT   THE  MOUTH   OF  THE  HUDSON.  39 


4.  Then  the  great  plain  east  of  the  Appalachian  Moun- 
tains, which  is  now  covered  with  farms,  pretty  villages, 
and  fine  cities,  was  everywhere  one  unbroken  forest.  In 
the  shade  of  these  forests,  lived  many  beautiful  birds 
and  some  large  and  strong  ones,  like  the  eagle.  There 
were  many  fierce  wild  animals,  —  bears,  wolves,  and 
panthers ;  and  there  were  many  harmless  ones,  like  the 
deer. 

6.  The  Indians,  also,  lived  in  these  forests.  Their 
huts  were  the  only  houses  the  Dutch  strangers  found ; 
and  their  bark  canoes,  the  only  boats  on  the  Hudson. 
The  Indians  did  not  like  to  have  the  white  people 
come  to  live  in  their  country ;  because  they  cut  down 
the  forests,  built  houses,  and  ploughed  and  planted 
the  fields,  and  thus  frightened  away  the  wild  animals. 
They,  therefore,  burned  the  houses  of  the  Dutch,  and 
killed  many  people.  In  this  way  they  tried  to  drive 
them  away,  or  to  prevent  their  making  themselves  com- 
fortable, and  increasing  in  numbers. 

c.  But  they  did  not  succeed.  More  Dutch  people 
came  every  year ;  and,  by  and  by,  English  people  came 
also.  The  little  village  grew  into  a  great  town ;  the 
town  increased  in  size  as  the  years  passed,  and  at  length 
became  a  city.  Fine,  large  buildings  were  put  up  ;  new 
streets,  broad  and  straight,  were  opened;  and  pretty 
parks  were  laid  out :  and  thus,  after  many  years.  New 
York,  which  began  with  a  dozen  or  two  little  log  houses, 
has  become  the  great  city  it  now  is. 

7.  In  the  broad  mouth  of  the  river,  beside  the  city, 
are  hundreds  and  hundreds  of  ships  from  all  parts  of  the 
world.  Some  are  moved  by  the  wind  blowing  against 
sails ;  others  are  great  steamers,  much  larger  and  stronger 


40  GBOGRAPHICAL   HEADER. 


than  those  on  the  Mississippi.  Some  are  used  to  carry 
goods  and  travellers  from  one  place  to  another ;  others 
are  war-ships,  carrying  soldiers,  and  great,  heavy,  ter- 
rible cannons. 

8.  Here,  also,  are  large  steamboats  which  rmi  only 
upon  the  Hudson.  Some  of  these  Hudson  steamers  are 
very  elegant,  and  move  over  the  water  with  great  speed. 
We  shall  presently  get  into  one  of  them,  and  make  a 
journey  up  the  river. 

0.  Many  vessels  lie  quietly  on  the  water,  held  in 
place  by  a  strong,  heavy  anchor.,  Avhicli  is  fastened  to 
the  ship  by  a  great  rope,  called  a  cable.  When  the 
master  of  the  ship  wishes  to  remain  in  the  same  place 
for  some  time,  ho  has  the  anchor  thrown  into  the  water ; 
and  it  sinks  to  the  bottom,  fastens  itself  to  the  earth 
by  its  strong  hooks,  and  holds  the  ship  securely.  This 
place  in  which  the  ships  are  lying  at  anchor,  is  called 
the  harbor, 

10.  There  are  islands,  near  the  mouth  of  the  river, 
that  keep  the  great  waves  of  the  sea  from  rolling  into 
the  harbor ;  and  the  high  lands,  on  each  side  of  it,  pre- 
vent the  winds  from  blowing  very  hard  upon  the  ships. 
Thus,  they  ?ire  in  no  danger  of  being  dashed  about  and 
broken  in  pieces,  as  they  might  be  in  the  ocean.  New- 
York  Harbor  is  one  of  the  largest  and  safest  in  the 
world. 


UP   THE  HUDSON.  41 


XL -UP  THE  HUDSON. 

per-pen-dic'-u-lar.      I     aq'-ue-duct  [aA:'-ioe-].  I     Al' -hSi-JiY  [Aiol'-]. 
Pal-i-sades'.  |     car'goes.  1     Ad-i-ron'-dacks. 

1.  At  nine  o'clock  on  a  beautiful  spring  morning,  we 
make  our  way  to  the  place  where  the  Hudson-river 
steamers  are  to  be  found,  and  go  on  board  one  of  them. 
The  sunlight  falls  on  the  sails  that  skim  the  harbor, 
and  makes  them  white  as  snow  ;  and  the  tall  domes 
and  spires  of  the  city  glitter  like  silver. 

2.  We  pass  miles  of  wharves  lined  with  vessels  which 
are  receiving  or  discharging  their  cargoes,  and  of 
streets,  some  bordered  with  low,  dirty-looking  shops, 
some  with  tall,  handsome  buildings.  Here  and  there, 
are  large  factories  with  dull  brick  walls  and  smoking 
chimneys.  Noav  we  begin  to  know  what  a  great  city 
New  York  is.  At  length  the  ^hops  and  wharves  and 
straight,  paved  streets,  are  all  passed,  and  we  are  steam- 
ing along  through  the  country. 

3.  On  the  east  bank  of  the  river,  are  beautiful  country- 
houses,  surrounded  by  trees,  with  pretty  walks  winding 
down  the  green  slope  to  the  water's  edge.  There  are 
dark  evergreens  with  their  tall,  stiff  figures,  and  grace- 
ful elms  and  maples,  with  their  delicate  green  leaves 
dancing  in  the  morning  wind.  There  are  other  trees, 
covered  with  snow-white  flowers,  with  scarcely  a  leaf 
to  be  seen.  The  ground  is  smooth,  and  the  grass  thick 
and  green,  showing  that  somebody  has  taken  care  of 
these  lands,  and  spent  much  time  and  money  to  make 
them  beautiful. 


42 


GEOGEAPHICAL   HEADER. 


4.  The  west  side  looks  very  different.  There  rises, 
near  the  river's  edge,  a  great  perpendicular  wall  of 
naked  rock,  reaching  very  much  higher  than  the  tallest 
tree.  It  begins  opposite  the  upper  part  of  New  York, 
and  extends  several  miles  up  the  river. 

5.  This  wall  is  called  the  Palisades,     That   sloping 

bank    seen     at    its 
^    ^  foot,    is     made     of 

pieces  of  rock  that 
are  constantly  fall- 
ing from  above. 
Here  and  there,  at 
the  foot  of  the  slope, 
is  a  little  cottage  or 
other  small  build- 
ing ;  but  there  are 
none  of  those  fine 
houses  and  parks 
that  make  the  other 
bank  so  beautiful. 

6.  Just  above  the 
Palisades,  the  river 
spreads  out  into  a 
broad  sheet,  like  a 
lake.  This  is  called 
Tappan  Bay,  The 
banks  are  high,  and  covered  with  handsome  houses  and 
parks,  like  those  already  seen  ;  and  here  and  there,  are 
pretty  little  villages  almost  hidden  by  trees.  Beyond 
the  villages,  are  fine  farms,  with  orchards  covered  with 
their  fragrant  pink  and  white  blossoms.  Ploughmen  and 
sowers  are  working  in  the  fields;  and  flocks  of  sheep 


Palisades  of  the  Hudson. 


UP    THE  HUDSON. 


48 


and  lambs,  and  herds  of  cows,  are  feeding  upon  the  hill- 
sides. 

7.  At  the  upper  end  of  Tappan  Bay,  the  Croton^  a 
little  river  of  bright,  pure  water,  flows  into  the  Hud- 
son. It  comes  from  small  lakes  away  among  the  hills 
east  of  the  Hudson.  From  the  Croton,  water  is  car- 
ried, in  a  great  tube  called  an  aqueduct^  all  the  way  to 
the  city  of  New  York,  and  is  sent  through  pipes  into 
the  houses  and  other  buildings;  for,  in  a  great  city 
where  so  many  people  live, 
they  cannot  have  springs 
and  wells  of  pure  water, 
as  in  the  countr}\ 

8.  After  a  time,  the 
Hudson  becomes  very 
narrow,  and  changes  its 
course,  so  that  we  can 
see  it  only  for  a  short  dis- 
tance ahead.  On  both 
sides,     great      mountains 

come  down  to    the   water's  Highlands  of  the  Hudson. 

edge,  with  their  steep,  rocky  slopes  covered  with  forests 
of  evergreens.  The  river  seems  to  be  coming  to  an  end 
at  the  foot  of  these  mountains. 

9.  As  we  go  on,  a  narrow  passage  opens  between  them, 
—  so  narrow,  one  could  almost  toss  a  stone  from  the  boat 
to  either  bank.  Through  this  passage,  the  river  rushes 
so  swiftly  that  the  people  here  call  this  place  the  Horse 
Race,  For  a  long  distance,  the  river  keeps  this  narrow 
path,  with  the  mountains  on  each  side  of  it.  All  this 
great  cluster  of  mountains  together,  is  called  the  Sigh- 
lands  of  the  Hudson, 


44  GEOGRAPHICAL  READER. 


10.  In  the  Highlands,  on  a  part  of  the  mountain-side 
which  is  less  steep,  is  West  Point,  of  which  you  will 
hear  and  read  many  interesting  things  as  you  become 
older.  Opposite  West  Point,  is  the  narrowest  part  of 
the  Hudson.  Many  years  ago  our  country  was  at  war 
with  England,  and  the  English  had  possession  of  New 
York.  Our  people  then  built  strong  forts  here,  with 
heavy  guns  pointing  over  the  river,  to  fire  on  the 
English  ships  if  they  should  attempt  to  go  farther  up 
the  stream  with  their  soldiers,  to  destroy  the  cities  and 
villages  along  its  banks. 

11.  Beyond  the  Highlands,  for  many  miles,  the  high, 
sloping  banks  of  the  river  are  again  covered  with  fine 
farms  and  elegant  buildings,  with  villages  and  cities 
here  and  there.  Soon  the  distant  Catskill  Mountains 
can  be  seen  in  the  west,  like  a  bank  of  purple  clouds. 
They  do  not  approach  very  near  to  the  river,  but  in 
some  places  can  be  seen  quite  plainly. 

12.  Above  the  Catskills,  the  river  contains  many 
islands.  Some  are  rocky  and  covered  with  trees,  and 
look  like  little  hills  in  the  middle  of  the  stream. 
Others  are  very  flat,  and  covered  with  low  plants. 

13.  After  some  hours,  we  reach  Albany^  the  largest 
city  on  the  Hudson,  except  New  York.  It  is  built  on  a 
number  of  hills  that  rise  up  from  the  river,  one  beyond 
another  ;  so  that,  in  passing,  a  great  part  of  the  city  can 
be  seen.  On  the  top  of  one  of  these  hills,  surrounded 
by  fine  old  elms,  is  a  large  building  in  which,  every 
winter,  chosen  men,  from  all  parts  of  the  State  meet  to 
make  the  laws  that  govern  its  people.  Because  they 
meet  here,  Albany  is  called  the  capital  of  New  York. 
The  building  in  which  they  meet  is  named  the  Capitol. 


UP   THE  HUDSON.  45 


14.  Six  miles  above  Albany,  there  is  a  smaller  city, 
named  Tro^,  Here,  as  in  Harrisburg  and  Pittsburg, 
are  great  furnaces  and  iron-works.  We  have  now  been 
from  early  morning  until  evening  upon  the  river,  and 
have  gone  from  New  York  to  Troy,  one  hundred  and 
fifty  miles. 

15.  We  can  go  no  farther  than  Troy  on  the  steamer , 
for  here  the  stream  becomes  too  small,  and,  like  the 
Upper  Mississippi,  its  course  is  filled  with  rapids  and 
waterfalls.  The  finest  of  these  is  Glen's  Falls,  There, 
and  at  the  other  rapids  and  falls,  are  mills  of  different 
kinds,  the  wheels  of  which  are  moved  by  the  water  of  the 
river.  Thus  the  Upper  Hudson,  as  well  as  the  lower 
and  larger  part,  is  very  important.  Its  source  is  far 
away  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State,  among  some 
high,  rugged  mountains  called  the  Adirondacks, 

iG.  Every  part  of  the  Hudson  thus  lies  among  moun- 
tains. Above  the  Palisades,  mountains  —  sometimes 
near  at  hand,  sometimes  far  off — are  in  sight  of  the 
river  through  the  whole  distance  to  its  source.  Along 
the  entire  length  of  the  Mississippi,  nearly  ten  times 
that  of  the  Hudson,  there  is  not  a  single  mountain- 
range:  the  bluffs  are  the  only  high  land  to  be  seen. 
The  Mississippi  is  the  river  of  the  Great  Plain,  but  the 
Hudson  is  a  mountain-river, 

17.  The  Hudson  has  only  one  large  tributary,  the 
Mohawk.  It  flows  from  the  west,  and  enters  the  Hudson 
near  Troy.  The  Mohawk  valley  is  full  of  fine  farms, 
and  covered  with  pretty  villages  ;  and  along  the  river 
are  busy  cities.  The  Dutch,  who  founded  New  York, 
made  settlements  about  the  mouth  of  the  Mohawk ;  and 
some  of  their  fine  old  mansions  are  still  to  be  seen. 


46  GEOGBAPHICAL  BEADER. 


XII. -THE  ERIE  CANAL  AND  THE  GREAT 
LAKES. 

MackM-naw.        |    Mich'-i-gan  [MIsh'-'].    \     Chi-ca'-go  [-cato'-]. 

1.  FnOM  Albany,  a  canal  has  been  made  through  the 
Mohawk  valley,  connecting  the  Hudson  Avith  Lake 
Erie.  It  is  a  broad,  deep  channel  filled  with  water,  on 
which  boats  run  between  the  river  and  the  lake.  Lake 
Erie  is  one  of  the  five  great  lakes  which  extend  along 
the  northern  border  of  the  United  States.  By  the 
Hudson,  the  Erie  Canal,  and  the  Great  Lakes,  we  have 
a  water-route  all  the  way  from  New  York  to  the  great 
grain-fields  on  the  prairies. 

2.  Canal-boats,  loaded  at  New  York,  are  towed  by 
steamboats  up  the  river,  and  are  drawn  on  the  canal 
by  horses  walking  on  a  tow-path  beside  it.  At  length 
they  reach  Buffalo^  a  fine  city  at  the  east  end  of  Lake 
Erie.  The  goods  are  now  taken  from  them,  and  put  upon 
larger  boats  which  sail  upon  the  lakes ;  and  the  canal- 
boats  are  loaded  with  grain,  lumber,  and  other  freight, 
and  sent  back  to  New  York. 

3.  Lake  Erie  is  very  different  from  the  little  lakes 
found  among  the  hills  on  the  Upper  Mississippi.  It  is 
much  longer  than  the  whole  distance  from  New  York 
to  Troy ;  and  is  so  wide,  that,  if  we  were  in  the  middle 
of  it,  we  could  scarcely  see  land  on  either  side. 

4.  Sometimes,  when  the  wind  blows  hard,  the  water 
is  lifted  up  in  great  ridges,  with  deep  hollows  between 
them,  like  little  hills  and  valleys  in  the  lake.  These 
ridges  of  water  are  called  waves,  and  they  heave  the 


THE  ERIE  CANAL  AND   TUE  GREAT  LAKES,      47 


large  vessels  about  as  easily  as  you  could  toss  an  egg- 
shell in  your  hand.  Sometimes  vessels,  driven  ashore, 
are  dashed  in  pieces  by  them;  and  all  the  people  on 
board  are  drowned,  and  all  the  goods  lost.  The  south- 
ern side  of  Lake  Erie  belongs  to  the  United  States ; 


The  Monawk  Valley  and  the  Erie  Canal. 

and  all  along  its  shores,  are  cities  and  villages,  where 
the  steamers  stop  to  receive  or  land  passengers  and 
goods. 

5.  At  the  west  end  of  Lake  Erie,  a  short  river  enters 
it  from  the  north.  It  comes  from  Lake  Huron,,  and 
widens  in  the  middle,  forming  Lake  St.  Clair.     Lake 


48  GEOGRAPHICAL  BEADER. 


Huron  is  nearly  three  times  as  large  as  Lake  Erie.  In  it 
are  many  large,  beautiful  islands  covered  with  trees; 
and,  in  almost  its  whole  extent,  it  is  bordered  with 
forests  like  those  about  the  source  of  the  Mississippi. 
There  are  no  large  cities,  and  but  few  villages,  on  its 
shores.  After  we  have  gone  the  entire  length  of  Lake 
Huron,  we  enter  a  short  and  rapid  stream,  named  the 
Strait  of  Mackinaw,    This  brings  us  into  Lake  Michigan. 

6.  Lake  Michigan  is  the  smaller  one  of  two  great 
lakes  which  we  can  enter  from  the  head  of  Lake  Huron. 
It  extends  far  toward  the  south,  and  much  of  its  shore 
is  covered  with  forests.  All  around  the  southern  part, 
are  villages  and  cities,  which  are  every  day  sending 
out  vessels  loaded  with  lumber  from  the  forests,  or  with 
grain  from  the  farms.  At  its  head,  is  the  great  city  of 
Chicago^  which  only  a  few  years  ago  was  but  a  small 
village. 

7.  The  grain,  flour,  beef,  and  pork  produced  in  the 
region  of  the  prairies  around  and  far  west  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi are  brought  here  in  immense  quantities,  and 
forwarded  to  New  York.  From  this  place,  they  can 
easily  be  sent,  in  ocean  ships,  to  all  parts  of  the  world. 
Since  there  are  railroads  running  in  every  direction, 
Chicago  trades  with  other  cities,  as  well  as  with  New 
York,  to  Avhich  it  has  this  easy  water-way  by  the  lakes, 
the  canal,  and  the  Hudson. 

8.  Lake  Superior  is  the  other  great  lake  which  is  con- 
nected, by  a  short  and  narrow  stream,  with  Lake  Huron. 
Its  shores,  also,  are  covered  with  pine-forests.  In  some 
places  on  the  south  shore,  there  rise  from  the  water's 
edge  high  walls  of  rocks  of  strange  forms  and  differ- 
ent colors.     These  are  called  the  Pictured  Hocks. 


THE  ERIE  CANAL  AND   TUE  QBE  AT  LAKES.      49 


9.  Parts  of  the  shore  are  yery  high  and  steep ;  and  in 
one  place  a  river,  in  entering  the  lake,  falls  over  the 
steep  precipice,  making  a  beautiful  waterfall.  When 
there  are  storms,  the  waves  dash  against  these  rocks 
with  great  fury ;  and,  if  there  should  be  vessels  in  that 
part  of  the  lake,  they  would  be  almost  sure  to  be 
wrecked,  for  there  is  no  sheltered  harbor  in  which  they 
could  find  safety. 

10.  This  is  the  largest  lake  of  fresh  water  known 
in  the  whole  world.  It 
spreads  out  on  all  sides, 
like  a  great  sea.  A 
steamer  is  two  or  three 
days  in  going  from  one 
end  of  it  to  the  other, 
and,  in  the  middle  parts, 
is  out  of  sight  of  land,  as 
though  in  the  middle  of 
the  ocean.  There  are  not 
so  many  vessels  to  be  seen 
on  this  lake  as  on  the 
other  three ;  and  there  are  ^°pp^'  '^'"'"^• 

no  great  cities,  and  but  few  villages,  along  its  border. 

11.  On  the  south  shore,  there  are  large  mines  of 
copper,  in  which  hundreds  of  men  are  at  work  all  the 
time.  Sometimes  great  lumps  of  copper  are  found,  with 
no  stone  mixed  with  it,  and  all  ready  to  be  made  into 
kettles,  and  other  things  for  which  copper  is  used.  This 
is  called  native  copper.  Rich  iron  ore,  also,  is  found  on 
the  south  shore  ;  and  all  summer  one  may  meet,  on  the 
lakes,  vessels  loaded  with  it.  Ore  is  sent  from  these 
mines  to  cities  on  the  shores  of  the  other  lakes,  and 


50 


GEOGRAPHICAL   READER, 


even  to  more  distant  places,  where  there  are  furna,ces 
for  separating  the  metal. 

12.  Toward  the  foot  of  the  lake,  near  Lake  Huron^ 
many  people  are  engaged  in  catching  white-fish,  which 
are  abundant  here.  In  the  forests  along  the  shores, 
are  many  wild  animals  which  are  hunted  for  their  furs. 
Among  these  is  the  beaver.    Do  you  know  how  he  builds 


his  home  upon  the  streams? 

13.  At  the  western  end  of  Lake 
Superior,  the  St.  Louis  River 
enters  it.  This  stream  has  its 
source  very  near  that  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi, in  the  same  forest-covered  hills ,  and,  like  that 
river,  its  waters  find  their  way,  through  a  long,  long 
course,  to  the  Atlantic  Ocean. 


LAKE  ONTARIO  AND    THE  ST.   LAWRENCE.       51 


XIII. -LAKE    ONTARIO    AND   THE    ST. 
LAWRENCE. 


St.  Law'-rence. 
La-chine'  {-sheen']. 


Mon-tre-al'  {-awl']. 
Que-bec'. 


Mont-mo-ren'-ci  [-se]. 
Ot'-ta-wa. 


1.  From  the  east  end  of  Lake  Erie,  a  passage  leads 
northward  to  another  great  basin.  This  passage  is 
called  Niagara  River.,  and  the  basin  beyond  is  Lake 
Ontario.  About  half  way 
between  these  lakes,  are 
the  great  Niagara  Falls. 
Standing  on  the  bank  by 
the  water's  edge,  below 
the  fall,  you  see  before 
you  a  high  wall  of  water, 
nearly  a  mile  in  length, 
pouring  down  from  above, 
filling  the  air  with  clouds 
of  mist,  and  almost  deafen- 
ing you  with  its  roaring. 

2.  This  broad  mass  of  water  is  of  a  pale  green  color ; 
the  boiling,  rolling  stream  below  is  snowy  white ;  while 
the  clouds  of  mist  show,  in  the  sunshine,  all  the  colors 
of  the  rainbow.  In  the  middle  of  the  fall,  is  an  island, 
crowned  with  evergreen  trees ;  and  its  black  rocks  divide 
the  beautiful  green  waters  into  two  broad  sheets. 

3.  The  broad  green  wall  of  waters,  the  white  foamy 
mass  below,  the  black  rocks,  and  the  dark-green  foliage, 
with  the  terrible  roaring,  thundering  noise  of  the  rush- 
ing waters,  present  a  scene  more  grand  and  wonderful 
than  any  thing  you  can  imagine. 


''agara 


Fa\\5- 


52  GEOGRAPHICAL  HEADER. 


4.  Lake  Ontario  is  the  last  and  the  smallest  of  the  five 
Great  Lakes,  and  the  only  one  that  has  both  shores  bor- 
dered everywhere  with  farms,  villages,  and  cities.  The 
southern  shore  belongs  to  the  United  States,  and  the 
northern  to  Canada,  From  the  eastern  end  of  this 
lake,  the  water  flows  north-eastward  to  the  Atlantic,  in 
a  great  stream  called  the  St,  Lawrence,  At  the  point 
where  it  leaves  the  lake,  is  a  city  on  the  Canada  shore 
named  Kingston,  From  this  place,  steamers  are  every 
day  going  down  the  river,  and  around  the  lake,  stop- 
ping at  all  the  important  places. 

5.  The  part  of  the  river  near  the  lake  is  filled  with  a 
great  number  of  islands,  —  some  quite  large,  and  others 
very  small.  They  are  all  covered  with  tall  forest-trees, 
and  are  reflected  in  the  quiet  waters  as  in  a  mirror, 
making  a  very  beautiful  picture.  This  part  is  called 
the  Lake  of  the  Thousand  Lsles. 

6.  Below  the  Thousand  Isles,  the  river  is  broad  and 
gentle  for  a  long  distance,  with  fine  forests  on  both  sides 
of  it,  and  only  here  and  there  a  village  on  the  banks. 
Farther  on,  the  banks  become  higher  and  steeper,  and 
the  river  more  swift,  and  we  enter  the  great  rapids. 
In  the  middle  of  the  stream,  are  many  islands ;  and  the 
river  foams  and  dashes  through  the  narrow  channels, 
carrying  our  boat  with  it.  It  needs  several  strong  men 
to  guide  it  so  that  it  shall  not  strike  the  rocks  in  its 
passage.     These  are  the  Lachine  Rapids. 

7.  We  could  not  go  up  the  rapids  as  we  have  come 
down ;  for  the  water  would  force  the  boat  back  as  fast 
as  the  steam  could  drive  it  forward.  For  this  reason,  a 
canal  has  been  cut  around  the  rapids,  for  vessels  which 
are  going  up  stream. 


LAKE  ONTARIO  AND   THE  ST.   LAWRENCE.       53 


8.  A  little  below  the  Thousand  Isles,  the  river  leaves 
the  border  of  the  United  States,  and  goes  across  a  part 
of  Canada  to  the  ocean.  There  are  not  upon  its  banks 
such  numbers  of  villages  and  cities  as  along  the  Mis- 
sissippi  and   the    Hudson;   for   this    part    of    Canada 


The  Citadel  of 
Quebec. 


is  rather  cold,  and  does  not  contain  many  people.  The 
country  is,  in  many  parts,  still  covered  with  forests 
where  only  hunters,  Indians,  and  wild  animals  live. 

9.  The  largest  city  on  the  St.  Lawrence  is  Montreal., 
a  little  way  below  Lachine  Rapids.  It  is  situated  at 
the  foot  of  a  mountain,  on  a  fine  island  in  the  river. 
Opposite  the  upper  end  of  the  island,  a  large  stream, 
called  the  Ottawa.,  flows  into  the  St.  Lawrence  from  the 
north. 

10.  Quebec,  another  city  on  the  St.  Lawrence,  is  built 
at  the  mouth  of  the  aS'^.  Charles.,  about  one  day's  jour- 


54  GEOGRAPHICAL   BEABEB. 


ney  for  a  steamboat,  below  Montreal.  It  stands  on  the 
point  of  land  made  by  the  meeting  of  the  two  rivers. 
In  front,  the  ground  is  nearly  as  low  as  the  river ;  but 
farther  back,  it  rises  in  a  steep  bluff. 

11.  Quebec  is  built  partly  on  the  low,  and  partly  on 
the  high  land.  The  Upper  Town — that  is,  the  part 
on  the  hill  —  contains  a  strong  fort  called  the  Citadel^ 
and  is  surrounded  by  a  great  wall  with  five  gates.  In 
the  citadel,  are  soldiers  whose  duty  it  is  to  defend  the 
town  if  an  enemy  should  attack  it. 

12.  Looking  about  you  from  the  Citadel,  you  see,  in 
front,  the  river  spread  out  like  a  broad  lake,  its  surface 
dotted  with  vessels,  with  now  and  then  a  steamer  hur- 
rying to  and  fro,  or  a  raft  of  lumber  floating  slowly 
down  the  stream. 

13.  Below  you  is  the  Lower  Town,  having  on  one 
side  the  broad  St.  Lawrence,  and  on  the  other  the  small, 
beautiful  St.  Charles.  Behind,  away  in  the  distance,  are 
green  hills  and  forest-covered  mountains,  and,  stretch- 
ing away  to  the  east  as  far  as  you  can  see,  the  great 
river,  becoming  always  broader  and  broader,  until  it 
seems  to  be  itself  another  lake  going  to  the  sea;  for  it 
soon  becomes  half  as  wide  as  Lake  Erie.^ 

14.  The  French  people  began  to  build  this  town,  long 
before  the  Dutch  commenced  New  York ;  and  though 
the  English  took  it  from  them  in  time  of  war,  there  are 
still  many  French  people  living  here,  and  French  is  more 
spoken  than  English. 

15.  The  summers  in  Quebec  are  quite  warm ;  but  the  . 
winters  are  long,  and  very,  very  cold.      The  snow  is 

1  The  St.  Lawrence  just  below  Quebec  is  twelve  miles  in  width;  but, 
long  before  it  reaches  the  Gulf,  it  has  a  width  of  near  thirty  miles. 


LAKE  ONTARIO  AND    THE  ST.    LAWRENCE.       55 


deep;  and  the  small  lakes  and  rivers,  and  even  the  great 
St.  Lawrence,  from  Montreal  all  the  way  to  the  sea,  are 
frozen  over  for  several  months.  Then  people  drive 
about  npon  them  in  sleighs,  instead  of  sailing  in  boats 
as  in  summer. 

16.  When  the  spring  comes,  and  the  ice  in  the  St. 
Lawrence  begins  to  break  up,  the  sight  is  very  grand. 
Great  blocks  of  ice  are  carried  down  stream  by  the 
water;  for  the  upper  part,  nearest  the  lake,  feels  the 
warm  weather  first:  and  they  are  sometimes  heaped 
one  upon  another,  until  mountains  of  ice  are  made. 
The  strongest  bridges  are  often  broken  away  by  the 
drifting  ice. 

17.  A  few  miles  below  Quebec,  a  small  river,  called 
the  Montmorenci,  flows  into  the  St.  Lawrence.  The 
banks  of  the  great  river  are  here  very  high ;  and  the 
water  of  the  Montmorenci  makes  a  long  leap  to  get 
from  its  own  bed  down  to  the  St.  Lawrence.  As  you 
sail  along,  you  do  not  see  the  small  river,  which  is  far 
above,  and  hidden  by  the  bank :  you  see  only  the  water 
pouring  over  a  great  precipice,  higher  than  that  of 
Niagara,  as  if  coming  from  the  clouds.  This  is  the  JFalls 
of  Montmorenci, 

18.  In  winter  the  falls  are  very  grand,  and  many 
people  go  from  Quebec  to  see  them.  The  ground  is 
buried  in  snow;  and  the  branches  of  the  evergreen 
pines  and  firs  are  bending  under  its  weight.  The  leaf- 
less trees,  even  to  every  little  twig,  are  covered  with 
ice ;  and  when  the  sun  rises  in  the  morning,  and  shines 
upon  them,  they  glisten  like  a  forest  of  diamonds. 

19.  The  precipice,  too,  is  covered  with  ice;  and  the 
mist  which  rises  from  the  bottom,  as  at  Niagara,  freezes, 


66  GEOGRAPHICAL  READER. 


and  forms  steep  hillocks  of  ice.  People  drive  to  Mont- 
morenci  from  Quebec,  and  sometimes  stay  all  day,  skat- 
ing, or  climbing  the  ice-hills  and  sliding  down  their 
steep  slopes. 

20.  From  this  place  to  the  ocean,  the  river  flows  on 
broad  and  majestic,  with  forests  covering  the  whole 
country  around,  and  on  both  sides  mountains  rising  in 
the  distance.  In  these  forests,  are  many  wild  animals, 
some  of  them  covered  with  the  finest  fur.  Many  In- 
dians and  Canadians  hunt  them  for  their  furs,  which  are 
made  into  warm  wraps,  for  use  in  the  long,  cold  winters. 


XIV.— LAKE   CHAMPLAIN   AND   THE   ADIRON- 
DACKS. 

Cham-plain'.  I        Kich'-e-lieu.  I        New  Eng'-land. 

[sham-].  I         [reesh'-e-loo],  \         [-ing'-], 

1.  In  following  the  St.  Lawrence  to  the  sea,  we  were 
obliged  to  leave  our  own  country  and  go  into  Canada. 
There  is  a  very  pleasant  part  of  the  United  States,  lying 
to  the  south  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  which  we  could  not 
see  on  this  journey. 

2.  Between  Montreal  and  Quebec,  there  is  a  river, 
named  Richelieu.,  flowing  northward  into  the  St.  Law- 
Vence,  from  Lake  Champlain.,  which  lies  between  Ne\V 
York  and  New  England.  At  the  upper  end  of  this  lake, 
is  a  smaller,  but  more  beautiful  one,  the  water  of  which 
flows  into  Lake  Champlain.     This  is  Lake  George. 

3.  These  lakes  have  clear  blue  water,  with  many  little 
islands  rising  from  the  surface,  covered  with  evergreen 
trees.    On  their  shores,  are  forest-covered  mountains  and 


LAKE  CHAMPLAIN  AND   THE  ABIBONBACKS.     57 


hills,  which,  with  the  islands,  are  all  pictured  in  the 
quiet  waters  below,  as  in  a  mirror ;  and  away  in  the  dis- 
tance, on  both  sides,  are  other  and  higher  mountains, 
that  make  a  framework  of  green  for  the  clear,  bright 
lakes.  You  can  hardly  imagine  how  beautiful  they  are. 
Many  people  go  every  summer  from  New  York  and 


Lake  George. 

other  cities,  and  live  in  little 
villages  on  the  shores  of 
these  lakes,  to  enjoy  the  views,  sail  on  the  clear  waters, 
and  climb  the  green  hills  that  border  them. 

4.  The  high  mountains  west  of  Lake  Champlain  are 
the  Adirondacks,  They  belong  to  the  Appalachian  sys- 
tem, but  are  much  higher  and  rougher  than  the  moun- 
tains of  Pennsylvania.  If  you  were  on  the  top  of  one, 
and  looking  over  the  country,  you  would  find,  as  far 
as  your  eye  could  reach,  mountain  beyond  mountain, 
stretching  away  on  every  side,  like  the  waves  of  a 
great  rolling  sea. 

5.  The  whole  country  is  covered  with  grand  old  for- 
ests, just  as  it  was  before  the  white  people  came.  Here 
and  there,  on  the  steep  sides  of  the  mountains,  you 
see  large  spaces  of  bare  rock.  These  were  once,  like 
the  rest,  covered  with  trees.  At  some  time,  after  a 
long  rain,  the  earth  upon  these  rocks  became  loosened 


58 


GEOGBAPHICAL   BEABEB. 


from  its  place,  and  went  sliding  down  the  mountains, 
carrying  all  the  great  trees  with  it  to  the  foot,  leaving 
the  mountain-side  bare  and  drear,  as  you  now  see  it. 
6.  In  the  hollows  among  the  mountains,  are  hundreds 
of  small  lakes,  whose  black  waters 
reflect    the    mountains,   the   forests, 
and    the    sky   as    perfectly    as     the 
finest  mirror.    If  you  Avere  upon  one 
of  these  lakes  in  the  night-time,  you 
could  see  the  sky  and  the  moon  and 
stars    below  you   just    as  distinctly 
as  above  ;  and  you  would  almost  be- 
lieve that  you  had  been  taken  away 
from  the   earth,  and  placed  in  the 
middle  of  the  great  heavens. 

7.  Nowhere,  in  all  this  great 
mountain  country  over  which  you 
look,  can  you  see  a  single  village, 
or  even  a  farm.  These  forest-cov- 
ered mountains  still  belong  to  the 
wild  beasts ;  and  bears,  wolves,  and 
deer,  with  hundreds  of  smaller  ani- 
mals, everywhere  roam  at  will. 

8.  There  are  rich  ores  of  iron  in 
all  parts  of  the  Adirondacks;  but 
some  of  the  richest  beds  are  away 

The  Adirondacks,  Mt.  Marcy.  ^^  ^^^  midst  of  the  mountaius,  whcrc 
the  country  is  so  rough  that  they  cannot  easily  be 
reached  for  working.  In  the  region  around  the  moun- 
tains, are  villages  and  cities,  where  the  people  are  melting 
ore,  or  making  articles  from  iron,  as  in  Pennsylvania. 


NEW  ENGLAND.  59 


XV.-NB"W    ENGLAND. 

Bos'-ton.  I  Brook'-lyn.  I  Ches'-a-peake  [-peek], 

Con-nect'-i-cut  [-yiet'-].  \  Bal^-ti-mOTe  [bawl'-].     I  Po-to'-mac. 

1.  The  part  of  our  country  east  of  Lake  Chaniplain 
is  called  New  England.  There  is  first  a  range  of  forest- 
covered  mountains,  extending  away  to  the  south  much 
farther  than  Ave  can  see.  This  is  the  beautiful  Green 
Mountain  range.  Beyond  this,  is  a  long  valley  extend- 
ing southward  by  its  side. 

2.  This  is  not  a  level  valley ;  but  it  is  covered  with 
low,  green  hills.  In  every  part  of  it  we  see  fine  farms, 
and  pretty,  busy  villages  and  cities.  In  the  middle  of 
the  valley,  winding  along  its  whole  length,  is  the  Con- 
necticut River.  Its  pleasant  banks  are  dotted  with  farm- 
houses, surrounded  by  green  meadows,  orchards,  and 
fields  of  grain. 

3.  Beyond  the  valley,  is  another  ridge  of  land,  on  the 
northern  part  of  which  is  a  knot  of  mountains  some- 
what like  the  Adirondacks,  but  much  higher  than  they. 
These  are  the  White  Mountains.  Mount  Washington 
is  the  highest  of  them.  The  high  peaks  near  it  are 
named  for  other  presidents;  and  it  is  common  to  call 
this  whole  group  the  Presidents'  Range. 

4.  All  over  New  England,  are  green  hills  and  fruit- 
ful valleys,  or  forest-covered  mountains  with  beautiful 
glassy  lakes,  as  in  the  Adirondacks.  From  these,  flow 
silvery  streams,  which  go  dancing  along,  adown  the 
hills  and  mountains,  to  the  sea.  On  their  banks,  are 
villages,  crowded  with  mills  whose  wheels  are  turned 


60 


GEOGRAPHICAL   READER. 


by  the  swift  waters ;  and  great  cities,  filled  with  busy 
people  who  are  sawing,  hammering,  spinning,  weaving, 
grinding,  and  making  all  sorts  of  things,  —  working 
away  as  though  they  had  twice  as  many  things  to  do  as 
they  could  possibly  find  time  for. 

6.  On  the  seashore,  too,  are  large  cities.     Here  they 


White  Mountains. 


are  building  great  ships  to  sail  on  the  ocean,  or  loading 
them  with  lumber  from  the  forests,  ice  from  the  moun- 
tain lakes  (for  it  is  very  cold  here  in  winter),  and  boots 
and  shoes,  and  cloth,  and  all  sorts  of  goods.  Thus  they 
send  these  things  to  market,  and  bring  back  cotton  for 
their  mills,  sugar  and  tea  and  coffee  for  their  tables, 
and  many  other  things  which  they  need.     Other  vessels 


NEW  ENGLAND.  61 


go  toward  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  to  the  fishing- 
grounds,  or  take  brave  men  away  to  the  distant  parts 
of  the  ocean  to  catch  whales. 

6.  The  rivers  are  full  of  rapids  and  falls,  and  very  few 
are  large  enough  for  vessels  to  sail  upon ;  but  there  are 


The  City  of  Boston. 

railroads  all  over  the  country,  to  carry  the  goods  from 
place  to  place.  Everywhere  are  fine  schools,  in  which 
children  and  young  people  can  learn  whatever  they  need 
to  make  them  wise  and  useful. 

7.  The  largest  of  the  cities  in  New  England  is  Bos- 
ton, You  will,  as  you  become  older,  hear  of  many 
beautiful  and  interesting  things  which  are  in  Boston, 
and  of  many  learned  and  good  men  who  have  lived 
there. 


62  GEOGBAPHICAL   BEADEB. 


8.  At  this  city  we  will  take  one  of  the  New-England 
steamers,  and  sail  southward  along  our  whole  Atlantic 
coast.  On  the  way  we  shall  pass  several  great  cities. 
Brooklyn  is  one  of  them.  It  is  on  Long  Island^  and  is 
separated  from  New  York  by  the  East  River.  Boats  go, 
every  few  minutes,  from  city  to  city,  carrying  thousands 
of  people  back  and  forth  every  day.  Many  gentlemen 
who  live  in  Brooklyn  have  offices  in  New  York,  and  go 
over  every  morning  to  their  business,  and  back  every 
evening  to  their  homes. 

9.  Farther  south,  are  Philadelphia  and  Baltimore^  nei- 
ther of  which  is  upon  the  sea-shore,  but  ships  can  easily 
reach  both.  They  are  near  parts  of  the  ocean  called 
hays;  which  extend,  like  arms,  away  from  its  great  body, 
far  into  the  land.  Philadelphia  is  near  Delaware  Bay^ 
into  which  the  Delaware  River  flows.  Baltimore  is 
near  Chesapeake  Bay^  on  one  of  the  rivers  which  flow 
into  it. 

10.  South  of  Baltimore  the  Potomac  flows  into  this  bay. 
Upon  the  Potomac  is  Washington,  a  city  of  great 
interest  to  us.  There  the  President  lives,  and  every 
year  men  chosen  by  all  the  difl:erent  States  meet  there 
to  make  laws  for  the  country ;  for  Washington  is  the 
capital  of  the  United  States. 

11.  Still  farther  south,  upon  the  sea-shore,  are  several 
fine  cities,  though  no  very  large  ones.  Here  we  pass 
the  turpentine  forests,  the  palmetto  groves,  the  cotton- 
fields,  the  swampy  rice  lands,  and  the  immense  marshes 
of  the  southern  part  of  the  Atlantic  Plain,  with  their 
trailing  moss  and  their  water  plants,  their  alligators  and 
their  swamp  birds. 

12.  Here,  also,  are  forests  of  the  live-oak^  the  wood 


IN  THE  ROCKY  MOUNTAIN   COUNTBY.  63 


of  which  is  very  durable,  and  is  excellent  for  building 
ships.  Now  we  sail  along  the  coast  of  Florida^  the 
most  southern  State  of  our  country.  Finally  we  turn 
westward,  pass  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  at  length 
arrive  at  New  Orleans. 

13.  We  have  now  seen  the  eastern  half  of  the  United 
States,  the  part  in  which  are  all  but  one  of  the  great 
cities,  and  in  which  most  of  the  people  live.  Every- 
where we  have  found  rich  farms,  fine  forests,  or  fruitful 
prairies ;  and  in  every  part,  are  rivers  and  lakes,  some 
small,  others  so  very  large  that  we  can  sail  upon  them 
hundreds  and  even  thousands  of  miles. 

14.  This  half  of  the  United  States,  with  its  rich  lands, 
its  great  lakes,  and  long  rivers,  extends  beyond  the 
Mississippi,  almost  half  way  to  the  foot  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains.  You  will  find  the  western  half  very  differ- 
ent ;  but  I  hope  it  will  interest  you  to  learn  something 
about  it. 


XVI. -IN  THE  ROCKY  MOUNTAIN  COUNTRY. 
buf'-fa-loes  [-loze].     |     past'-ure  [-yiir].         |     Den'-ver. 

1.  The  prairie  land,  beginning  along  the  Mississippi, 
extends  westward  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  the  limit 
of  the  Great  Central  Plain.  The  far  western  prairies, 
however,  are  not  rich  and  beautiful  like  those  along 
the  Mississippi,  but  are  high,  dry,  and  somewhat  bar- 
ren. On  these  prairies  herds  of  buffaloes  still  feed, 
and  the  wild  Indians  still  roam.  They  live  in  little 
huts,  and  spend  their  time  in  hunting  and  fighting. 
They  hunt  the  buffaloes  for  the  flesh,  Avhich  they  use 


64 


GEOGBAPHICAL   llEAJbEll, 


for  food;  and  for  the  skins,  which  they  sell  to  white 
people  to  make  overcoats  and  wraps  for  the  cold 
winter. 

2.  When  the  buffaloes  have  eaten  all  the  grass  from 
one  portion  of  the  prairies,  they  go  to  another  where 
they  j5nd  it  fresh  and  green.  The  Indians,  knowing 
where  the  best  pastures  •are,  and  when  the  herds  will 


An   Indian   Lodge. 

go  to  each,  follow  them,  —  some  to  one  place,  and  some 
to  another.  They  go  in  companies,  with  their  wives 
and  children,  and  stay  until  the  buffaloes  have  done 
feeding  in  that  place,  sometimes  several  weeks. 

3.  When  they  go  to  the  hunt,  they  ride  on  their  fleet- 
est horses ;  for  the  buffaloes  run  very  swiftly.  Many 
hunters  usually  go  out  together,  and,  when  they  have 
found  a  herd,  surround  the  place,  drive  them  together, 


IN   THE  ROCKY  MOUNTAIN  COUNTRY. 


G5 


and  kill  them  in  great  numbers.  Sometimes,  too,  they 
drive  them  swiftly  to  the  edge  of  a  precipice,  over  which 
they  fall,  and  liundreds  at  a  time  are  killed.  The  In- 
dians are  very  fond  of  this  way  of  hunting. 

4.  The  Rocky  Mountains  are  quite  different  from  any 
mountains  in  the  eastern  half  of  the  United  States.  If 
you  could  look  down  upon 
them  from  above,  you 
would  see  two  great 
ranges,  side  by  side,  with 
a  wide  valley  between 
them.  They  are  so  lofty 
that  their  lowest  passes 
are  higher  than  the  high- 
est peaks  of  the  Appa- 
lachians. Many  short 
ranges,  crossing  between 
them,  cut  up  the  great 
inner  valley  into  broad 
basins,  some  of  them  dark 
with  forests,  and  others 
bright  with  rich  prairie- 
grass.  All  the  lower  and 
middle  slopes  of  these  ^°^^y  Mountains. 
mountains  are  thickly  covered  with  forests. 

5.  Higher  up,  the  trees  become  smaller  and  smaller, 
until  there  are  only  bare  gray  rocks,  with  here  and 
there  patches  of  grass  or  of  bright  mountain  flowers. 
Beyond  these,  are  the  high,  wild  peaks,  covered  with 
snow  even  in  summer,  and  glistening  above  the  dark 
forests  and  rocks  like  crowns  of  silver.  These  peaks 
have  all  sorts  of  rugged,  broken  forms ;  and  the  whole 


66  GEOGBAPHICAL  READER. 


mountain-system  looks  as  though  the  earth's  crust  had 
been  all  torn  and  broken  in  pieces,  instead  of  gently 
folded,  as  it  appeared  in  the  Appalachians. 

6.  You  would  hardly  suppose  people  could  wish  to 
live  among  the  Rocky  Mountains ;  but  large  numbers 
of  men  are  there,  and  more  are  going  every  year.  Great 
herds  of  cattle  are  pastured  in  the  valleys  between  the 
ranges ;  and  in  the  mountains,  are  rich  mines  of  silver 
and  gold,  with  towns  growing  up  around  them.  Denver^ 
at  the  eastern  side  of  the  mountains,  is  already  quite  a 
large  city. 

7.  The  Rocky  Mountains  make  a  great  dividing  wall, 
extending  across  the  entire  country.  Even  the  water 
from  the  springs  on  the  eastern  side  goes  away  to  the 
Mississippi,  and  finally  to  the  Atlantic  Ocean;  while 
that  on  the  western  side  goes  to  the  Pacific.  As  you 
become  older,  you  will  be  able  to  understand,  much 
better  than  you  now  can,  how  very  important  this 
mountain-system  is. 


XVII.  -  ON  THE  TABLE-LAND. 

Si-er'-ra  Ne-va'-da.        l       can'-on.  I        Co-lo-ra'-do  [-rah'-]. 

[Se-er'-ra  Na-vah'-dd\.     \       [can' -y on].  \        pla-teau'  [plah-to']. 

1.  Beyond  the  Rocky  Mountains,  is  another  vast 
plain,  many  hundred  miles  broad ;  and  on  the  western 
border  of  that,  is  another  great  system  of  mountains, 
called  the  Sierra  Nevada.  This  whole  plain  between 
the  two  mountain-systems  is  lifted  up,  so  that  it  is 
higher  than   the    ranges   of  the   Appalachian    Moun- 


ON   THE   TABLE-LAND, 


67 


tains.     Such  a  high  plain  is  called  a  table-land^  or  some- 
times a  plateau, 

2.  On  this  great  table-land,  it  rains  but  very  few  times 
in  the  year.  For  this  rea- 
son, the  soil  is  so  dry  that 
only  a  few  kinds  of  plants 
can  grow,  and  there  are 
no  trees  at  all.  The  low 
plants  do  not  look  fresh 
and  green,  but  gray  and 
dusty,  so  that,  a  little  Avay 
from  them,  you  would 
think  you  were  looking 
only  on  the  bare  gray 
earth.  You  may  travel  for 
days,  and  find  still  the 
same  dry,  dreary  country. 
How  very  different  is  this 
from  the  great  forests  of 
the  Atlantic  Plain,  and  the 
rich  green  prairies  near 
the  Mississippi ! 

3.  Have  you  ever  seen 
those  plants  called  the 
cactus  and  the  prichly- 
pear?  We  have  them  set 
in  boxes  in  our  gardens; 
and  in  winter  they  must  be  kept  in  a  warm  room,  for 
the  frost  would  kill  them.  In  a  part  of  the  table-land 
south  of  the  middle,  these  are  almost  the  only  plants ; 
and  they  grow  much  taller  and  larger  than  any  we 
have,  for  that  is  their  native  country. 


'68  GEOGRAPHICAL   READER. 


4.  They  are  not  covered  with  leaves,  but  are  only- 
great,  branching,  juicy  stalks,  with  little  bunches  of 
hairs  dotting  them  all  over.  These  gather  every  bit  of 
moisture  there  is  in  the  air,  and  store  it  away  in  the 
great  soft  stalks:  thus  the  cactus  can  grow  where 
grasses  and  other  plants  would  soon  dry  up,  and  die. 
Many  of  them  have  large  scarlet  or  crimson  flowers, 
which  are  very  beautiful.  They  grow  directly  from  the 
great  stalks,  without  any  slender  stem,  such  as  most 
flowers  have. 

5.  In  the  hollows  in  different  parts  of  the  table-land, 
are  lakes  of  salt  water,  some  so  salt  that  fish  cannot 
live  in  them.  Into  some,  little  streams  of  water  flow, 
from  the  springs  among  the  mountains  and  hills ;  and 
along  the  borders  of  these,  you  will  find  a  line  of 
fresh  green  grass,  and  sometimes  trees.  These  green 
belts  with  the  bright  streams,  in  the  midst  of  this 
broad,  gray,  dreary  land,  are  very  beautiful.  They  are 
almost  the  only  places  on  the  great  table-land  which 
are  naturally  productive.  The  largest  of  the  lakes  is 
Great  Salt  Lake,  It  is  in  Utah,  where  a  people  called 
Mormons  live. 

6.  In  the  whole  table-land,  where  there  is  so  little 
rain,  there  are  but  few  rivers.  These  do  not,  like 
others  which  we  have  seen,  flow  through  beautiful 
green  valleys,  with  gentle  slopes  on  each  side,  covered 
with  farms  and  gardens.  You  may  be  riding  across  the 
country,  and  before  you,  as  far  as  the  eje  can  reach, 
there  is  no  valley,  no  stream,  to  be  seen. 

7.  Presently  you  look  down,  and  right  there  under 
your  feet,  is  a  great  crack  in  the  earth,  with  a  solid  wall 
of  rock,  like  the  Palisades,  on  each  side  of  it.     Down 


ON   THE   TABLE-LAND. 


69 


as  far  as  you  can  see,  there  is  not  a  spot  on  which  you 

could  set  your  foot,  or  where  a  single  little  tree  or  plant 

could    find   room    to  grow. 

At  the  bottom  is  a  river,  not 

bright    and    sparkling,    but 

looking   black  and   terrible 

in  the  dark  shadow  of  the 

rocky  walls.    Such  a  place  is 

called  a  cafwn. 

8.  There  are  canons  on 
some  part  of  the  course  of 
nearly  all  the  larger  streams. 
Some  are  much  deeper  than 
others;  and  in  some,  there 
is  a  little  strip  of  bottom- 
land, or  a  sloping  bank,  at 
the  side  of  the  stream.  In 
others,  there  is,  for  miles, 
not  a  single  spot  where,  if 
you  were  in  a  boat  on  the 
river,  you  could  leave  it; 
for  you  would  not  find  room 
even  to  stand  between  the 
water  and  the  rocky  walls 
of  the  caiion,  and  you  could 
no  more  climb  up  these  walls 
than  you  could  climb  the 
side  of  a  house.  The  Colo- 
rado^ the  largest  river  in  all 

this     part      of      the       country.  The  Canon  of  the  Colorado  River. 

flows  in  deep  canons  through  almost  its  whole  course. 

9.  You  see  that  the  country  west  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 


TO  GEOGUAPIIICAL  BEADER, 


tains,  is  not  a  good  land  for  farmers,  for  in  most  of  it 
nothing  useful  can  grow ;  and  as  the  larger  rivers  flow 
through  deep  canons,  instead  of  fertile  valleys,  there 
are  not  many  good  places  for  cities.  You  would  sup- 
pose people  here  could  find  nothing  to  do,  and  would 
have  nothing  to  live  on.  But  this  is  not  so.  In  the 
mountains  on  the  table-land,  as  well  as  in  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  there  are  veins  of  gold  and  silver.  Thus 
even  this  part  of  our  country  is  good  for  something. 

9.  Men  go  to  tlie  mines  to  dig  the  gold  and  silver 
from  the  earth ;  others  go  to  sell  food  and  clothing  to 
the  miners:  and  so,  after  a  time,  a  large  number  of 
people  gather,  and  villages  or  cities  spring  up  where 
we  would  not  have  supposed  anybody  could  possibly  live. 
These  places  are  not  very  pleasant  to  live  in.  Many 
are  far  from  any  railroad ;  and  most  of  the  food  for  the 
people  must  be  brought,  with  great  difficulty,  over  this 
wild,  dreary  country,  in  wagons,  or  on  the  backs  of 
mules  travelling  in  long  trains. 


XVIII.-IN  CALIFORNIA. 

Cal-i-for'-ni-a.  |     San  Fran-cis'-co.        i     Los  An'-gel-es. 

r an-che'-ro  [-c7ia'-].     I     vine'-yard  [-v//i'-].       I      [Loce  An'-jel-ez]. 

1.  When  we  have  passed  over  the  great  table-land, 
we  reach  California^  a  part  of  our  country  of  which, 
I  have  no  doubt,  you  have  often  heard.  It  has,  on  the 
eastern  border,  the  high  wall  of  the  Sierra  Nevada,  with 
peaks  reaching  up  into  the  clouds  and  covered  with 
snow  and  ice. 


IN  CALIFORNIA.  71 


2.  These  snowy  peaks  shut  in  many  narrow  valleys, 
the  sides  of  which  are  not  gentle  slopes,  but  steep 
precipices.  Into  some  of  them,  rivers  leap,  forming 
waterfalls  of  immense  height.  West  of  this  mountain- 
border,  is  a  wide  and  beautiful  valley,  with  clear  lakes 
and  bright  rivers  that  have  never  had  their  waters 
locked  with  ice ;  for  it  is  always  warm  there.  Beyond 
this  valley,  is  a  range  of  low  mountains  like  the  Appa- 
lachians, and  then  comes  the  broad  Pacific  Ocean. 

3.  In  the  valley  in  the  middle  of  California,  are  farms 
with  great  fields  of  grain,  and  orchards  in  which  grow 
the  most  excellent  fruits.  There  are  also  gardens  of 
grape-vines,  called  vineyards^  much  finer  than  those  on 
the  banks  of  the  Ohio.  Every  thing  that  is  raised  on 
the  farms  or  in  the  gardens  of  the  east,  grows  in  Cali- 
fornia much  better  and  larger ;  besides,  in  the  south,  are 
figs  and  oranges,  and  many  other  things  that  grow  only 
in  warm  countries. 

4.  In  the  southern  part  of  the  State,  there  are  large 
prairies,  covered  with  tall,  rich  grass  and  wild  oats, 
where  thousands  of  cattle  and  horses  are  raised. 
Sometimes  one  man  owns  as  much  as  a  whole  county. 
His  land  is  not  called  a  farm,  but  a  ranch.  Nobody, 
not  even  he  himself,  knows  how  many  horses  and  cattle 
he  has;  for  they  run  wild  on  the  ranch.  There  are 
herdsmen,  called  rancheros^  who  have  charge  of  them, 
but  who  really  give  them  little  attention. 

5.  Once  a  year  the  cattle  are  driven  together  and 
counted,  and  the  young  ones  are  marked  so  that  they 
can  be  known ;  and  that  is  about  all  the  care  they  re- 
ceive. As  snow  hardly  ever  lies  on  the  ground,  they 
feed  all  winter  in  the  fields,  upon  the  ripened  oats  and 


7:i 


GEOGBAPIIICAL   HEADER. 


the  grass  which  has  turned  into  hay  while  standing  in 

the  field. 

G.  In  the  valleys  among  the  mountains  of  California, 

are  forests  of  wonderful  old  trees,  so  large  that  you  can 

hardly  imagine  how  big  they  are.      In  several  places, 

there  are  groves 
in  which  some 
trees  are  so  large 
round  that  they 
would  fill  your 
whole  school- 
room, and  are 
twice  as  tall  as 
the  very  tallest 
church -steeple 
you  ever  saw. 
Nobody  knows 
how  long  they 
have  been  grow- 
ing ;     but    they 

The  Bottom  of  One  or  the  Big  Trees.  mUSt     haVC     bcCU 

there  many  hundred  years  before  any  white  people  came 
to  this  country. 

7.  But  it  is  not  the  farms,  nor  ranches,  nor  forests, 
which  interest  people  most  in  California.  It  is  the  great 
quantity  of  gold  found  in  the  mountains  on  its  eastern 
border,  which  has  brought  people  here  from  every  part 
of  the  world. 

8.  One  day  in  the  year  1848,  when  our  people  were 
only  just  beginning  to  go  there,  and  we  knew  hardly 
any  thing  about  it,  a  man  who  was  at  work  near  one 
of  the   streams   flowing   from    these  mountains  found 


IN   CALIFORNIA,  78 


some  grains  of  gold  in  the  sand  which  the  water  had 
washed  down.  This  showed  that  there  must  be  gold 
in  the  mountains  from  which  the  river  came ;  and,  as 
soon  as  it  was  heard  of,  thousands  of  people  rushed  to 
California  to  get  rich. 

9.  At  first  everybody  went  to  the  gold-fields.  There 
were  no  farms  bought  and  worked  by  the  new-comers, 
no  mills  built,  nor  any  thing  done  but  to  dig  for  gold. 
For  this  reason,  though  this  State  has  some  of  the  best 
farming-land  in  the  world,  and  some  of  the  finest  forests, 
and  can  produce  almost  every  thing  that  people  need, 
it  then  furnished  them  no  supplies.  The  food  for  all 
those  thousands  of  people,  the  cloth  for  their  clothing, 
their  boots  and  shoes,  the  spades  and  wheel-barrows 
they  used  in  the  mines,  and  even  the  timbers  for  their 
houses,  all  ready  to  be  put  together,  —  all  were  sent 
there  from  the  great  cities  of  the  Atlantic  Plain,  —  New 
York,  Philadelphia,  and  Boston. 

10.  But  people  soon  found  that  they  could  become  rich 
just  as  rapidly  by  buying  farms  and  raising  food  for  the 
miners,  and  building  mills  and  making  the  things  that 
were  needed,  as  by  working  at  the  mines.  Now  there 
is  much  more  grain,  fruit,  lumber,  wine,  butter,  and 
cheese  produced  in  California,  than  the  people  need  for 
their  own  use ;  and  they  are  able  to  send  these  things 
to  other  countries. 

11.  On  one  part  of  the  sea-shore,  the  Pacific  sends  a 
long  arm,  like  a  great  river  or  lake,  far  into  the  land. 
This  is  San  Francisco  Bay.  The  entrance  from  the 
ocean  is  between  high,  rocky  walls,  where  the  mountain- 
range  that  borders  the  sea-shore,  has  been  broken  down 
to  its  foot.     This  entrance  is  the  Golden  Gate, 


74  GEOGRAPHICAL    READER. 


12.  Beside  this  broad,  blue,  quiet  bay,  just  within  the 
Golden  Gate,  there  stood,  when  the  first  gold-seekers 
went  to  California,  a  small,  ill-looking  village.  Most  of 
the  houses  were  made  of  a  kind  of  clay  or  mud ;  the 
streets  were  narrow  and  dirty ;  and  the  people  looked 
no  more  attractive  than  the  town.  On  all  this  beauti- 
ful bay,  only  a  few  small  vessels  and  a  dozen  or  two 
fishing-boats,  could  be  seen. 

13.  Now,  instead  of  this  mean  village,  we  find  a  great 
and  rich  city.  Large,  fine  buildings  adorn  it;  its  streets 
are  full  of  people  hurrying  to  and  fro ;  and  the  bay  is 
covered  with  ships  from  every  part  of  the  world.  This 
is  one  thing  that  has  been  done  for  California  by  the 
discovery  of  gold.  The  city  which  has  grown  up  so 
quickly  is  San  Francisco, 

14.  There  arc  otlier  fine  cities  now  in  all  parts  of  tlie 
wide  valley.  On  the  southern  coast,  is  a  place  where 
the  country  was  so  beautiful,  and  the  air  so  delightful, 
that  the  people  who  discovered  the  site  chose  it  at  once 
for  their  dwelling-place,  and  called  the  town  they  founded 
Los  Angeles^  which  means  "  city  of  the  angels." 

15.  The  hillsides  and  valleys  about  the  city  are  cov- 
ered with  vineyards,  orange-groves,  and  orchards,  from 
which  are  sent  out  great  quantities  of  delicious  peaches, 
pears,  figs,  oranges,  and  grapes.  They  go  not  only  to 
San  Francisco  and  other  parts  of  California,  but  even 
to  New  York,  Philadelphia,  and  Boston. 

16.  For  a  time  the  Golden  Gate  was  the  only  way  of 
entrance  to  California,  except  the  long  weary  journey 
by  teams,  across  the  great  table-land.  But  now  railroads 
lead  from  San  Francisco,  through  all  the  principal  cities, 
to  every  part  of  the  country  east  of  the  Mississippi. 


THE  COLD   COUNTRIES   OF  THE  NORTH, 


75 


XIX. -THE  COLD  COUNTRIES  OP  THE  NORTH. 


Do-min'-ion  [-?/?<  ?i].     |     Au-ro'-ra  [-?*a/i]. 


I     rein'-deer  \i^ain'-'\. 


1.  North  of  the  United  States,  there  is  a  country 
which  is  colder  than  ours.  It,  also,  extends  from  the 
Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  Ocean :  and  it  stretches  north- 
ward to  the  shores  of  still  another  ocean,  called  the 
Arctic,  This  country  is  British  America^  and  the 
southern  part  is  named  the  Dominion  of  Canada, 

2.  The  larger  part  of  British  America  is  one  great 
forest  reaching  nearly  to 
the  shores  of  the  Arctic 
Ocean,  In  it  are  wild 
animals  of  many  different 
kinds,  —  the  wolf,  bear, 
reindeer,  moose,  musk- 
ox,  and  many  others. 

3.  Almost  the  only 
people  in  all  this  great 
forest  are  Indians,  who 
spend  their  time  in  hunt- 
ing, fishing,  and  fighting. 
Here  and  there,  by  the  side  of  some  of  the  large  lakes 
and  rivers,  are  a  few  white  men,  who  live  there  in  order 
to  hunt  the  wild  animals  for  their  furs,  or  to  buy  furs 
and  skins  from  the  Indian  hunters.  Some  of  the  furs 
are  sold  to  the  people  of  Canada,  but  many  are  sent 
away  to  other  cold  countries.  In  all  this  forest  country, 
during  half  the  year  or  more,  the  ground  is  covered  with 
snow  and  ice,  and  the  rivers  and  lakes  frozen  over. 


A  Reindeer. 


76 


GEOGBAPHICAL  BEAJDER. 


4.  Far  to  the  north,  the  forest  becomes  thin  and  the 
trees  very  small.  By  and  by  there  are  no  longer  any 
trees.  They  cannot  grow  here,  not  because  it  is  too 
dry,  as  was  the  case  in  the  table-land  west  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  but  because  it  is  too  cold.  There  are  only  a 
few  low  shrubs ;  and  near  the  shore  of  the  Arctic  Ocean, 
even  these  all  disappear,  and  nothing  grows  but  mosses, 
and  other  low  plants. 

5.  Here  the  snow  is  on  the  ground  all  the  year  except 

a  month  or  two;  and 
even  then,  if  you  should 
dig  into  the  earth  a  little 
way,  you  would  find  it 
frozen.  When  the  snow 
is  gone,  the  sun  warms 
the  surface  ;  and  the 
plants  quickly  spring 
up,    blossom,  and    bear 

A  Musk-ox.  their  fruits.      The  rein- 

deer and  musk-ox  come  from  the  forest  to  feed  on  the 
fresh  mosses ;  and  for  a  short  time,  this  cold,  dreary  re- 
gion seems  quite  bright  and  pleasant. 

6.  On  the  Arctic  shores,  as  you  see,  the  summer  lasts 
only  about  a  month.  All  the  rest  of  the  year  is  winter; 
and,  what  will  seem  strange  to  you,  the  winter  days  are 
very,  ver^  short.  Just  before  Christmas,  there  is  one 
day  in  which  the  sun  does  not  rise  at  all,  and  there 
are  two  or  three  weeks  in  which  you  hardly  see  it.  It 
is  night  nearly  all  the  time,  but  not  very  dark,  for 
the  stars  are  bright;  and  the  white  snow  and  the  large 
moon  shining  brightly,  make  the  night  nearly  as  light 
as  the  day.    These,  with  the  brilliant  northern  lights,  or 


THE  COLD    COUNTRIES    OF  THE  NORTH. 


77 


Aurora^  in  the  sky,  make  the  long  Avinter  nights  much 
more  pleasant  than  we  would  suppose  they  could  be. 

7.  I  presume  you  have  often  seen  the  northern  lights ; 
but,  although  we  think  the  sight  is  very  grand,  it  is 
nothing  compared  to  that  which  can  be  seen  in  this 
frozen  country.    We  see,  generally,  only  a  soft,  steady 


light  away  in  the  north ;  and  it  is  not  bright  enough  to 
make  the  night  much  less  dark. 

8.  But  in  the  Arctic  sky,  a  great  bow  or  arch  of  light, 
brighter  than  the  brightest  stars,  extends  across  the 
northern  heavens.  Below  it  the  sky  looks  as  black  as 
ink ;  but  above,  great  bands  or  streamers  of  light  flash 
up  to  the  middle  of  the  heavens,  and  chase  each  other, 


78  GEOGRAPHICAL  READER, 


as  quick  as  lightning,  from  one  end  of  the  bow  to  the 
other.  Sometimes  they  are  of  the  most  brilliant  colors, 
red  below,  green  in  the  middle,  and  the  brightest  yellow 
above.  You  can  hardly  imagine  how  grand  this  great 
arch  of  light  appears,  flashing  and  dancing  all  across  the 
northern  sky. 

9.  After  a  winter  night,  which  lasts  as  long  as  from 
noon  to-day  until  noon  to-morrow,  there  is,  about  twelve 
o'clock,  a  brightness  in  the  southern  horizon,  like  that 
which  we  see  in  the  east  just  before  the  sun  rises.  This 
continues  only  a  short  time ;  but  these  few  minutes  of 
dim  light  are  the  whole  of  the  shortest  winter  day. 

10.  The  next  day,  about  twelve  o'clock,  the  sun  peeps 
above  the  southern  horizon  for  a  half-hour,  and  then 
goes  away  again.  The  next  day  he  stays  a  little  longer, 
rising  earlier,  and  setting  later;  and  so  on,  each  day, 
until,  in  June,  there  is  one  day  in  which  he  does  not  set, 
and  several  days  in  which  he  shines  nearly  all  the  time, 
hardly  disappearing  at  all.  Thus  you  see,  throughout 
the  year,  there  is  no  more  night  than  day,  just  as  it  is 
everywhere.  The  trouble  is,  that,  when  the  sun  is  up, 
it  does  not  give  much  warmth  to  this  poor,  frozen 
country. 

11.  You  know  that  the  sun  rises  in  the  east,  goes 
through  the  southern  sky,  and  sets  in  the  west.  We 
see  it  on  only  three  sides  of  us.  But  in  the  Arctic 
regions,  in  that  longest  day  in  summer,  the  sun  goes 
quite  round  the  heavens,  and  may  be  seen  on  the  hori- 
zon directly  in  the  north.  Is  not  that  very  singular? 
The  people  who  live  here,  I  suppose,  do  not  think  any 
thing  about  it,  because  they  do  not  know  but  that  it  is 
just  the  same  all  over  the  earth. 


THE  ESQUIMAUX.  79 


XX.  -  THE  ESQUIMAUX. 
Es'-quj-maux  [-ke-mo]     \    es-pe'-cial-ly  [-pesh'-al-].    \   ice'-berg. 

1.  A  VERY  singular  people,  called  Esquimaux^  live 
about  the  Arctic  Ocean.  Though  the  country  is  so  cold 
that  we  should  hardly  suppose  any  one  could  live  there, 
they  seem  to  make  themselves  very  comfortable. 

2.  Their  clothing  is  made  from  the  skins  of  wild  ani- 
mals, especially  from  that  of  the  reindeer.  They  pre- 
pare it  with  the  hair  on,  and  make  a  sort  of  dress  all 
in  one  piece,  —  cap,  shirt,  trousers,  and  shoes,  —  so  that, 
when  they  have  it  on,  you  might  almost  think  it  their 
own  natural  covering.  Their  chief  food  is  fish  and  the 
flesh  of  the  reindeer,  and  of  the  seal,  walrus,  and  whale, 
which  inhabit  the  icy  seas. 

3.  The  reindeer  stays  here  only  during  the  short 
summer,  while  it  can  obtain  food :  so  the  people  must 
kill  enough  then  to  last  them  all  the  year.  The  women 
cut  up  the  meat,  and  dry  it,  and  in  this  way  keep  it 
for  the  long  winter.  They  also  catch  and  dry  the  fish. 
The  seal  is  hunted  in  the  spring,  when  the  ice  begins  to 
break ;  and  the  whale,  during  the  summer. 

4.  Through  the  winter,  the  Esquimaux  live  in  log 
huts,  which  they  build  from  the  trunks  of  trees  that 
have  floated  down  the  long  rivers  from  the  forests. 
They  pile  up  snow  around  and  over  the  hut,  and  make 
a  hole  in  one  side,  at  the  bottom,  through  which  they 
creep  in  and  out.  This  is  shut  with  a  snow-door.  They 
have  no  windows  at  all,  and,  indeed,  windows  would 
not  be  of  much  use,  as  there  is  so  little  daylight. 


80 


GEOGRAPHICAL  BEADER. 


5.  Here  all  live  together.  Thej  cook  their  food  by  a 
lamp  of  bone,  in  which  they  burn  the  oil  of  the  whales 
caught  in  summer ;  and  this  lamp  furnishes  all  the  fire 
and  light  in  the  house.  Here  they  stay  from  the  time 
when  the  leaves  of  our  trees  begin  to  fall,  until  they 
are  green  again  in  spring.  Then  all  quit  their  winter 
quarters,  and  go  to  the  islands  along  the  coast  to  watch 
for  the  seal. 

6.  Now  they  cannot  find  logs  with  which  to  make 

houses,  and  it  is  too 
cold  to  live  in  tents. 
What  do  you  suppose 
they  do?  They  make 
houses  of  .mo?^.  They 
first  trace  a  circle  as 
large  as  they  wish 
their  house  to  be, 
then  cut  the  snow 
from  the  inside  in 
nice  smooth  blocks 
like  large  bricks. 
These,  laid  one  upon 
another,  are  soon 
frozen  together. 

The  Esquimajx.  7.     Whllc  buildiug, 

one  man  works  on  the  inside  of  the  house,  and  an- 
other on  the  outside.  When  done,  it  looks  like  an 
immense  wash-bowl  turned  Itottom  upward.  The  man 
who  is  inside  cuts  an  opening  at  the  bottom,  and 
creeps  out ;  and  a  snow  door  is  made  to  close  it,  as 
in  the  other  houses.  They  sometimes  cut  places  for 
windows,  and  put  in  them  thin  pieces  of  clear  ice  for 


THE  ESQUIMAUX. 


81 


glass.  A  snow-liouse  with  a  snow  door  and  ice  windows ! 
— do  you  think  it  would  be  a  very  warm  place?  But 
they  find  it  warm  enough,  and  seem  to  be  entirely  con- 
tented and  happy. 


An  Iceberg. 

8.  The  Esquimau  children  must  look  very  odd,  with 
their  deer-skin  dress;  but  they  are  good-natured,  and 
seem  as  happy  in  their  snow  huts,  eating  dried  fish,  and 
drinking  whale  oil,  as  our  children  do  in  their  pleasant 
parlors,  with  the  nice  food  and  clothing  which  their 
kind  mothers  prepare  for  them. 

9.  The  Arctic  Ocean  is  full  of  ice  in  summer  as  well 
as  in  winter.  The  wind  drives  it  from  one  place  to 
another  in  great  masses ;  and  sometimes  ships,  in  which 
brave  men  were    trying  to   find  a  path   through   this 


82  GEOGBAPHICAL  BEADEB, 


frozen  ocean  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  have 
been  shut  up  by  the  ice,  and  kept  there  until  the  men 
were  all  starved,  or  frozen  to  death.  SomQ  of  these 
ships  have  afterward  been  found,  with  the  frozen  men 
lying  in  their  beds,  or  sitting  at  their  tables,  just  a'^ 
they  did  years  before,  when  they  were  waiting  for  the 
ice  to  break  and  go  away. 

10.  Sometimes  great  masses  of  ice,  called  icebergs^ 
strike  the  ships,  and  break  them  in  pieces.  Then  the 
sailors  who  escape,  and  are  not  picked  up  by  other  ships, 
must  go  and  live  with  the  Esquimaux  until  they  can 
find  some  means  of  getting  away. 


XXI. -IN  THE  "WARM  COUNTRIES  OP  THE 
SOUTH. 

Westln'-dies  [-(^i2;].     |    Mon-te-zu'-ma  [-2:00'-].    |   dah'-lia.  [dahV-ya]. 

1.  We  have  seen  that  the  southern  part  of  the  United 
States  is  much  warmer  than  the  northern.  The  coun- 
tries yet  farther  south  are  still  more  heated.  Such  are 
Mexico  and  Central  America^  and  some  great  islands, 
called  the  West  Indies^  which  lie  in  the  adjacent  ocean. 
There  the  whole  year  is  one  constant  summer ;  and  the 
trees  are  covered,  at  all  times,  with  green  leaves,  fruits, 
and  flowers. 

2.  In  crossing  Mexico  from  east  to  west,  there  is  first 
a  broad  plain  by  the  sea-side,  covered  with  immense 
forests.  Here  grows  the  tall,  beautiful  cocoa-palm^ 
straight  as  an  arrow,  and  covered  with  a  crown  of  long 
green,  feathery  leaves,  under  which  are  the  large  clus- 


IN   THE    WARM  COUNTRIES   OF  THE  SOUTH      83 


ters  of  fruit.  The  mahogany^  from  the  wood  of  which 
furniture  is  made,  and  the  banana  and  other  plants 
yielding  delicious  fruits,  are  also  found  here. 

3.  By  and  by  we  begin  to  ascend  a  slope,  many  parts 
of  which  are  so  steep  and  rugged  that  the  roads  are 
very  narrow,  crooked,  and  often  dangerous.  Here,  too, 
are  fine  forests,  also  plantations  of  cotton,  coffee,  and 
tobacco.  Lovely  roses^  dahlias,  and  many  other  plants 
which  we  cultivate  in  our  gardens  or  greenhouses,  grow 
here  in  the  fields  and  forests. 

4.  At  length  we  find  ourselves  on  the  top  of  a  moun- 
tain-range, which  we  cross  and  descend  into  a  basin,  or 
plain,  surrounded  by  mountains.  This  enclosed  plain  is 
the  table-land  of  Mexico.  In  the  midst  of  it,  is  a  beauti- 
ful lake,  beside  which  is  the  famous  old  city  of  Mexico. 

5.  When  the  white  people  first  came  to  America, 
nearly  four  hundred  years  ago,  they  found  the  lake 
much  larger  than  it  now  is,  and  the  city  on  a  cluster 
of  islands  in  the  midst  of  the  lake.  A  powerful  king, 
named  Montezuma,  lived  here  with  his  people,  who 
were  called  Aztecs.  The  city  was  full  of  their  palaces 
and  temples,  many  of  which  were  ornamented  with 
figures  and  vessels  of  silver  and  gold,  and  with  wonder- 
ful carvings  and  paintings. 

6.  They  had  lived  for  three  hundred  years  in  this 
basin,  with  its  high  mountains  on  all  sides,  shutting 
them  in  away  from  the  warlike  Indians  beyond,  who 
never  thought  of  doing  any  thing  but  to  hunt  and  fight. 
They  were  thus  able  to  go  on  in  peace,  building  their 
palaces,  temples,  bridges,  and  other  great  works,  some 
of  which  were  very  remarkable. 

But  what  seemed  most  wonderful  to  the  white  stran 


84  GEOGRAPHICAL  READER. 


gers,  was  the  great  number  of  articles  of  silver  and  gold 
in  the  temples  and  palaces.  These  they  wanted ;  and 
they  wished  also  to  know  where  the  silver  and  gold 
were  obtained,  so  that  they  might  get  them  for  them- 
selves. As  the  king  would  not  tell  them  this,  they  took 
him  prisoner,  and  afterward  made  war  on  the  city,  and 
treated  his  people  very  cruelly. 

7.  In  the  war,  the  city  was  nearly  destroyed;  but 
it  was  soon  rebuilt  by  the  conquerors.  They  finally 
found  the  mines  which  had  been  worked  by  the  natives ; 
and  soon  great  numbers  of  white  people  came  there  to 
live.  But  they  cared  more  for  the  gold  and  silver  than 
for  any  thing  else  in  Mexico. 

8.  Central  America^  which  is  farther  south,  resembles 
Mexico  very  much,  except  that  it  is  even  warmer.  It 
has  more  rain  too ;  and  the  choice  trees,  fruits,  and 
flowers  of  that  country  grow  still  more  luxuriantly 
here. 

9.  In  both  Mexico  and  Central  America,  there  are 
mountains  like  chimneys,  through  which  melted  rock, 
cinders,  and  vapor  come  out  from  the  interior  of  the 
earth.  These  mountains  are  called  volcanoes.  Some- 
times there  come  out  from  volcanoes  such  great  quan- 
tities of  cinders,  that  cities  and  villages  near  them  are 
buried.  Sometimes,  also,  red-hot  streams  of  melted 
rock,  called  lava^  flow  down  the  mountain-side,  burning 
up  every  thing  in  their  way. 

10.  At  times,  noises  like  thunder  are  heard  within  the 
earth ;  and  the  solid  land  trembles,  so  that  the  houses 
are  shaken  like  a  boat  on  the  sea,  and  come  tumbling 
down  over  the  heads  of  the  frightened  people.  This 
trembling  of  the  earth  is  called  an  earthquake.     Earth- 


72V   THE    WARM  COUNTRIES   OF  THE  SOUTH.      85 


quakes  not  only  happen  in  Mexico  and  Central  Amer- 
ica, but  also  in  other  countries.  Sometimes  they  shake 
down  whole  cities,  and  open  great  chasms  in  the  earth, 
swallowing  up  both  animals  and  people. 

11.  We  find  that  the  United  States  is  in  the  middle  of 
a  very  great  body  of  land,  the  northern  part  of  which 
is  frozen  through- 
out the  year;  while 
the  southern  part 
has,  all  the  year 
long,  one  constant 
summer.  This  vast 
body  of  land  is 
called  a  continent^ 
and  the  name  of  it 
is  North  America, 
Our  country,  though 
so  very  large,  is 
much  less  than  one- 
half  of  it. 

12.  There  are  five 
other  continents 
upon  the  earth,  two 
of  which  are    much  ^  volcano. 

larger  than  North  America.  Yet  we  know  that  there  is 
about  three  times  as  much  water  as  land  on  the  earth's 
surface.  What  a  great  earth  it  is  on  which  we  live, 
and  how  many  beautiful  things  we  have  already  seen  in 
it !  We  shall  find  many  more  when  we  go  to  the  other 
continents,  as  we  shall  do  by  and  by. 


GEOGBAPHICAL  BEADEB, 


XXIL-THB  WEST  INDIES. 
Ha-van'-a.  |     ve-ran'-da.  |     ba-na'-na  [rah'-nali]. 

1.  These  islands  lie  in  the  ocean,  east  of  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico.  Four  of  them  are  much  larger  than  the  others. 
They  are  covered  with  rugged  mountains,  among  which 
are  broad  green  valleys  where  not  a  flake  of  snow  ever 
falls,  nor  a  particle  of  ice  is  formed. 

2.  The  forests  are  filled  with  large  trees,  that  bear 
fresh  green  leaves,  flowers,  and  fruits  throughout  the 
year,  as  in  the  lowlands  of  Mexico  and  Central  America. 
The  earth  beneath  the  trees  is  covered  with  beautiful 
feathery  ferns,  lovely  flowers,  and  many  singular  plants. 

3.  Suppose  you  are  travelling  in  the  forests,  and  be- 
come thirsty.  You  look  about  for  a  spring  or  brook  of 
cool,  pure  water,  from  which  to  drink.  You  may  not 
find  any,  because  sometimes  no  rain  falls  for  several 
months,  and  the  springs  and  brooks  become  quite  dry. 

4.  Here  beside  you,  climbing  from  tree  to  tree,  is  a 
vine,  that  looks  as  much  like  a  dead  grape-vine  as  any 
thing  can.  As  high  up  as  you  can  reach,  you  cut  a 
notch  in  a  branch  of  it,  and  lower  down  you  cut  the 
branch  entirely  oif.  Putting  the  end  to  your  mouth, 
you  suck  upon  it,  and  find  that  it  gives  you  a  small 
stream  of  delicious  cool  water,  which  it  has  drawn  up 
from  the  earth,  and  stored  away  to  feed  the  plant  in  this 
dry  time.  There  are  many  other  plants  that  thus  pro- 
vide water  for  themselves.  What  a  happy  thing  to  find 
such  plants  in  this  warm,  and  sometimes  very  dry, 
country ! 


THE   WEST  INDIES, 


87 


6.  In  all  the  large  islands,  especially  in  Cuha^  are  great 
plantations  of  sugar-cane^  coffee^  and  tobacco.  The  city 
of  Havana^  on  the  northern  coast  of  this  island,  is  the 
greatest  sugar-market  in  the  world. 


^-.A 


'i':'^ 


m^ 


^^3 


A  Sugar- Plantation. 

6.  The  sugar-plantations  are  everywhere  much  alike. 
In  some  pleasant  part  the  owner  lives  in  a  large,  low 
house,  with  broad  verandas  on  every  side,  and  palm- 
trees  shading  it.  Around  it  grow  clusters  of  orange- 
trees,  bananas,  and  other  fruit-bearing  plants. 


88  GEOGRAPHICAL  BEADER, 


7.  Not  far  away  is  the  great  sugar-mill,  in  which  the 
cane  is  crushed,  and  its  juice  pressed  out  and  made 
into  sugar  and  molasses.  Near  by  it  stands  a  large  clus- 
ter of  little  cabins.  Each  has  a  banana-plant  and  a 
small  garden  beside  it ;  and  groups  of  naked  negro  chil- 
dren are  seen  rolling  about  in  the  dust,  or  lying  asleep 
in  the  sunshine.  These  are  the  houses  of  the  negroes, 
who  do  all  the  work  of  raising  the  cane,  and  making 
the  sugar. 

8.  On  every  side  of  this  little  village  the  vast  cane- 
field  extends,  so  that  you  might  ride  for  miles  and  still 
find  it  everywhere  the  same.  You  would  pass  none  of 
the  small,  neat  farm-houses  you  are  accustomed  to  see ; 
but  after  a  time  would  find  another  plantation  just  like 
the  last,  with  its  great  house,  its  mill,  and  its  little 
cabins  clustered  together  in  the  midst  of  the  cane-fields. 

9.  The  white  people  on  all  these  islands  do  but  little 
work.  They  usually  stay  in  their  houses  through  the 
warmest  part  of  the  day ;  and  when  the  sun  goes  down 
they  go  out  to  ride,  make  visits,  and  amuse  themselves 
as  they  choose. 


SOUTH  AMERICA. 


I. -UP  THE  AMAZON. 
Pa-na-ma'  [-mah'],     |     Ma-ra'-jo  [-zho'],         \     Pa-ra'  [Pah-rah'], 

1.  Southward  from  North  America  is  South  Amer- 
ica. Like  North  America,  it  lies  between  the  Atlantic 
Ocean  and  the  Pacific.  These  two  continents  are  con- 
nected by  a  narrow  neck  of  land,  named  the  Isthmus  of 
Panama. 

2.  In  the  northern  part  of  South  America  is  an  im- 
mense river,  the  largest  in  the  world.  Its  source  is  in 
the  far  western  part  of  the  continent,  near  the  Pacific 
Ocean.  It  flows  eastward  more  than  three  thousand 
miles,  through  a  vast,  low  plain,  into  the  Atlantic. 
This  is  the  Am'a-zon  River. 

a  The  mouth  of  the  Amazon  is  so  broad  as  to  seem 
like  a  large  lake  ;  and  its  great  mass  of  muddy,  yellow 
water  can  be  seen  for  scores  of  miles  at  sea,  making  its 
way  through  the  clear  blue  ocean.  Just  at  the  mouth 
of  the  river  is  the  large  island  of  Marajo^  dividing  the 
stream  into  two  branches, — one  more  than  twenty  miles 
wide,  the  other  more  than  fifty.  This  island  is  covered 
with  pastures  and  plantations,  from  which  are  sent 
cattle,  rice,  sugar,  and  fruits.  On  the  banks  of  the 
Amazon,  south  of  Marajo,  is  the  city  of  Para. 


90 


GEOGRAPHICAL  REABEB. 


4.  Like  New  Orleans,  it  is  built  on  the  marshy  plains 
that  border  the  river,  and  is  surrounded  by  rice-fields 
and  sugar-plantations.  It  is  now  only  a  small  place, 
but    some    day   it   will   undoubtedly   become   a   large 

and  busy  city ;  for 
steamers  can  go 
from  Para  up  the 
Amazon  and  its 
great  tributaries 
to  all  parts  of  the 
interior  of  South 
America,  just  as 
they  go  from  New 
Orleans  up  the 
Mississippi  to  the 
interior  of  our 
own  country. 

5.  After  having 
travelled  by 
steamer  up  the 
Amazon,  from 
Para,  for  a  day  or 
two,  all  the  plan- 
tations disappear, 
and  we  see  along 
the  river  only  im- 
mense marshes. 
They  are  covered 
with  a  thick  growth  of  reeds,  often  much  higher  than 
a  common  house.  Here  and  there  are  open  spaces, 
where  the  water  is  covered  with  large,  round  green 
leaves,  that,  with  their  brown  edges  turning  upward, 


On  the  Amazon. 


UP    THE  AMAZON,  91 


look  like  flat-boats.  Some  of  them  are  as  many  as  six 
feet  across ;  and,  if  you  were  placed  in  the  middle  of 
one,  you  would  find  it  quite  strong  enough  to  support 
you  on  the  water. 

6.  These  are  the  leaves  of  the  beautiful  Victoria  Regia^ 
a  very  large  kind  of  water-lily.  Floating  on  the  water, 
among  these  great  leaves,  are  flowers  larger  than  a  com- 
mon dinner-plate.  The  inner  petals  are  of  a  pretty 
rose-color,  and  in  the  centre  is  a  circle  of  bright  gold ; 
while  the  rest  of  the  flower  is  snowy  white.     You  can 


Victoria  Regia. 

hardly  imagine  one  more  beautiful.  These,  and  the 
many  other  plants  growing  there,  make  the  marshes  of 
the  Amazon  very  wonderful  to  see. 

7.  But  among  all  these  pleasant  things,  there  are 
others  which  you  will  not  like  so  well.  Great  scaly 
alligators  lie  asleep  in  the  sunshine,  with  their  ugly  red 
mouths  wide  open,  or  float  like  logs  on  the  surface  of 
the  water.  Thousands  of  immense  water-snakes  glide 
about  among  the  reeds.  Frogs  and  turtles  larger  than 
any  you  ever  saw,  and  lizards  a  yard  in  length,  are  to 
be  seen  at  every  moment ;  and  the  air  is  filled  with  the 
hum  of  brilliant  insects  whose  sting  is  poisonous. 

8.  Here  and  there  long-legged  swamp-birds  wade 
about,  darting  their  long  beaks  into  the  water  after 
the  frogs  and  snakes,  which  they  devour ;  while  whole 


92  GEOGRAPHICAL   REABEB. 


flocks,  which  have  finished  their  fishing,  stand  asleep  on 
the  shore.  The  noonday  sun,  directly  over  our  heads, 
pours  down  his  burning  rays,  and  almost  blinds  us  by 
the  dazzling  light  that  is  reflected  from  the  water  all 
around. 

9.  All  the  morning  the  whole  sky  has  been  perfectly 
clear,  and  of  the  brightest  blue.  Now  banks  of  white 
clouds  are  piled  up  here  and  there.  They  grow  thick 
and   dark,  and   rapidly  become   larger;    and  soon  the 


An  Alligator. 

whole  sky  is  black.  The  lightning  darts  in  blinding 
flashes  from  one  side  of  the  heavens  to  the  other.  Ter- 
rible peals  of  thunder  shake  the  earth,  and  the  rain 
begins  to  fall.  It  is  not  a  light,  pattering  rain,  like 
that  of  our  summer  showers ;  but  it  falls  in  torrents,  as 
though  the  wiiole  sky  were  one  overturned  sea  pouring 
down  upon  us.  This  continues  until  near  night ;  then 
the  thunder,  lightning,  and  rain  cease,  the  clouds  dis- 
appear, and  all  night  the  heavens  are  bright  with  stars. 
10.  Every  day  for  several  weeks  is  just  the  same; 
only  that  each  day  the  rain  commences  a  little  earlier, 
and  ceases  later,  than  the  day  before,  until  at  length  it 
rains  all  day.  Then  it  begins  later  and  later  each  day, 
and  ceases  earlier ;  and  at  last  there  comes  a  time  during 


IN  TUB  SELVAS. 


which,  for  a  number  of  months,  no  rain  falls.  The  part 
of  the  year  in  which  it  rains  thus  each  day  is  called  the 
wet  season;  the  other  part,  the  dvT/  season.  They  are 
nearly  alike  in  heat,  for  the  larger  part  of  South  Amer- 
ica has  no  winter. 


11. -IN  THE  SELVAS. 

seV-Y2L  [-vah].  I  jag-u-ar'.  I  Ri'-o  Ja-nei'-ro  [-?iee-]. 

bo'-a-con-strict'-or.      |   Bra-zil'.  I  va-nil'-la  [-lah], 

1.  Beyond  the  marshes  which  border  the  stream  on 
each  side,  are  immense  forests,  stretching  away  hun- 
dreds of  miles.  The  trees  are  not  only  of  great  size, 
but  they  stand  so  close  together  that  their  branches 
are  interlocked  and  form  a  dense  roof  of  green,  through 
which  the  sunbeams  can  hardly  reach  the  earth. 

2.  The  whole  space  between  the  trees,  and  beneath 
their  branches,  is  one  mass  of  reeds  and  other  tall  plants. 
Thousands  of  vines  climb  about  them,  stretching  from 
tree  to  tree  and  hanging  down  from  the  branches,  thus 
binding  all  so  firmly  together  that,  in  some  places,  not 
even  a  footpath  can  be  made  through  the  forests  with- 
out an  axe  to  cut  the  way. 

3.  The  low  plants,  the  vines,  and  even  many  of  the 
great  trees,  are  covered  with  the  most  beautiful  flowers, 
not  only  white,  but  crimson,  purple,  scarlet,  and  golden 
yellow.  As  there  is  no  winter,  the  trees  are  at  all  times 
growing,  blooming,  and  bearing  fruit.  On  some  kinds 
buds,  flowers,  green  fruit,  and  ripened  fruit  may  be 
found  all  at  the  same  time. 

4.  Living  among  the  branches  of  the  trees,  are  multi- 


94 


GEOGBAPIIICAL   BEABEB, 


tudes  of  birds,  of  such  brilliant  colors  that  they  seem 
like   winged    flowers.      Numberless   monkeys   of  ever^ 

description,  some  of 
which  are  not  larger 
than  a  kitten,  chase 
each  other  from  tree 
to  tree,  swinging  by 
their  long  tails  from 
one    branch    to   an- 
other. Great  snakes, 
called    boa-constrict- 
ors^  some   of   them 
eight  or  ten  yards  in 
length,    hang    from    the    trees, 
watching   for    some    animal    to 
come  within  their   reach,  when 
they    quickly    wind    themselves 
round  him,  and  crush  him. 

5.  Still  another  terrible  crea- 
ture, called  the  Jaguar^  makes 
his  home  in  the  forests.  The 
young  ones  look  like  kittens, 
and,  playing  about  the  trees,  are 
very  pretty  and  harmless;  but 
when  grown  large  they  are  fierce 
and  dangerous.  Thousands  of 
animals  of  many  other  kinds  fill 
this  great  forest,  through  which 
the  rivers  are  almost  the  only 
paths,  and  where  few  people 
but  Indians  and  adventurous 
travellers  have  ever  been. 


Spider  Monkeys. 


IN   THE  SELVAS.  95 


6.  Although  there  are  such  vast  numbers  of  birds  and 
animals  here,  the  forests,  all  through  the  long,  warm 
days,  are  perfectly- 
silent.  There  is  not 
a  sound  of  bird  or 
beast ;  but  as  soon 
as  the  night  comes 
on  their  voices  are 
everywhere  heard. 
The   roaring   of  the  a  jaguar. 

fierce  and  angry  jaguar,  the  screaming  of  the  frightened 
monkeys  trying  to  escape,  the  chattering  of  the  parrots 
and  other  birds  which  have  been  wakened  by  the  noise, 
make  a  sort  of  music  that  is  not  very  charming,  and 
which,  I  think,  would  hardly  lull  one  to  sleep. 

7.  Travellers  who  may  be  obliged  to  spend  the  night 
in  the  forests  must  build  fires  all  about  them  to  keep 
away  the  jaguars  and  other  dangerous  animals.  They 
are  afraid  of  the  flame,  and  will  not  approach  it.  But 
for  this,  it  would  not  be  safe  for  any  one  to  go  to  sleep 
in  the  forests.  These  broad  plains,  through  which  the 
Amazon  and  its  tributaries  flow,  are  called  selvas,  which 
means  forest-plains. 

8.  We  eteam  up  the  Amazon,  day  after  day,  for  more 
than  a  month,  and  still  we  find  the  same  level  plain 
covered  with  the  same  forests.  Were  we  to  leave  the 
main  stream  and  go  up  any  one  of  its  many  large  tribu- 
taries, we  should  find  no  change ;  for  the  selvas  cover 
more  than  half  the  continent  of  South  America. 

9.  Far  away  to  the  west  the  country  through  which 
the  Amazon  flows  becomes  hilly;  and  at  length  the 
river,  now  much  smaller,  descends,  in  many  rapids  and 


m 


GEOGBAPEICAL  HEADER, 


waterfalls,  from  a  mountainous  region.  The  forests 
begin  to  be  broken,  and  plantations  and  villages  again 
appear.  Here  we  must  leave  the  river,  as  steamers  can 
go  no  farther. 

10.  The  selvas  form  a  large  part  of  a  great  country 
named  Brazil^  which  is  nearly  as  large  as  all  the  other 
countries  of  South  America.   But  the  south-eastern  part 

is  a  table-land,  with  low 
mountains  crossing  it  in 
every  direction.  In  these 
mountains,  and  among  the 
pebbles  of  the  streams  that 
flow  from  them,  gold  and 
diamonds  are  found. 

11.  The  whole  eastern  part 
of  Brazil  is  covered  with 
coffee  -plantations,  orange- 
groves,  and  gardens  of  ba- 
nanas and  pine -apples. 
These,  with  cotton,  tobacco, 
lice,  and  other  things  which 
grow  in  the  warm  parts  of 
our  own  country,  may  be 
raised  in  all  the  rich  val- 
Picking  Coffee.  ]gyg^     Thcrc  is  also  growing 

here  a  vine  that  bears  a  fruit  like  a  bean,  from  which 
a  delicious  perfume  is  obtained.  This  is  tlie  vanilla. 
Many  of  you  have  seen  either  the  vanilla-bean,  or  an 
extract  made  from  it,  which  is  used  in  flavoring  custards 
and  creams. 

12.  But  there  are  not  yet  half  enough  white  people  in 
Brazil  to  cultivate  all  its  rich  land.     Almost  the  only 


ACBOSS   THE  ANDES.  97 


inhabitants  of  the  interior  are  Indians,  who  live  upon 
the  fruits  of  the  forest,  and  the  missionaries  who  are 
trying  to  teach  them. 

13.  On  the  coast  is  the  large  city  of  JRio  Janeiro.  Its 
streets  are  shaded  by  palms  and  other  beautiful  trees. 
In  some  places  the  handsome  buildings,  of  which  there 
are  many,  are  almost  hidden  by  the  green  leaves.  The 
air,  too,  is  always  delightful,  much  like  that  of  Los 
Angeles,  in  California. 

14.  The  city  is  built  by  the  side  of  a  broad  blue  bay, 
dotted  with  lovely  islands;  and  behind  it  rise  green 
hills,  and  high,  forest-covered  mountains.  These  hills 
are  topped  with  pleasant  country-houses  half  hidden  by 
trees ;  and  the  rich  valleys  between  them  are  covered 
with  fields  of  coffee,  cotton,  sugar,  and  delicious  pine- 
apples. You  can  hardly  imagine  a  place  more  pleasant 
than  Rio  Janeiro,  with  the  fine  country  round  it. 


III.  — ACROSS  THE  ANDES. 

An'-des  [-deez].  |     Ua'-ma  [lah'-ma],         |     ca-ca'-o  [ka-ka*-], 

1.  The  mountains  from  which  the  Amazon  flows,  and 
at  the  foot  of  which  the  steamers  stop,  are  the  Andes. 
They  are  very  high,  and  form  a  continuous  elevation 
along  the  western  coast,  from  the  northern  point  of 
South  America  to  the  southern.  Nowhere  can  we  go 
from  the  Atlantic  Ocean  to  the  Pacific  without  crossing 
the  Andes. 

2.  We  left  the  Amazon  just  at  the  foot  of  the  moun- 
tains.    We  must  continue  our  journey  on  the  back  of 


GEOGEAPUICAL  BEABER. 


a  mule,  for  there  are  no  good  roads  over  the  Andes. 
Their  slopes  are  so  rough  and  broken,  that  it  is  very 
difficult  and  dangerous  to  travel  across  them.  Some- 
times the  way  lies  along  the  edge  of  a  precipice,  where 
the  path  is  only  wide  enough  for  the  mule  to  walk.     A 


"s^s^^^gr- 


Among  the  Andes. 

single  wrong  step  would  tlirow  us  down  hundreds  of 
feet,  and  we  should  be  dashed  in  pieces. 

3.  In  other  places,  we  pass  through  deep  gorges,  with 
perpendicular  rocks  on  each  side,  rising  far  above  ;  and 
we  are  continually  in  danger  of  being  crushed  by  fall- 
ing pieces.     Foaming  mountain  streams  at  the  bottom 


ACROSS   THE  ANDES.  99 


of  deep  ravines  must  be  crossed,  not  on  solid  stone 
bridges,  but  on  slender,  swinging  cords,  covered  only 
with  branches  of  trees,  ready  to  break  at  any  moment, 
and  plunge  us  into  the  terrible  chasm  below. 

4.  On  the  lower  parts  of  the  slope,  are  dense  forests, 
like  those  of  the  selvas,  with  the  same  kinds  of  trees 
and  animals.  Farther  up  the  mountain  we  find  no  more 
tall  palm-trees,  nor  trees  covered  with  brilliant  flowers ; 
but  instead,  maples,  oaks,  and  beautiful  elms,  such  as 
we  see  in  our  own  country. 

5.  At  the  foot  of  the  Andes  the  whole  year  is  one 
long,  warm  summer.  Higher  up,  it  is  like  perpetual 
spring.  The  sunny  blue  sky  is  always  smiling ;  and  the 
pleasant  valleys  among  the  mountains  are  filled  with 
grain  fields,  green  pastures,  and  pretty  villages. 

6.  Still  higher  we  reach  a  cold  country,  with  but  a 
few  stunted  trees,  somewhat  like  those  growing  near  the 
Arctic  shores  of  North  America.  Now  we  are  at  the 
top  of  the  great  wall  of  the  Andes ;  and  here,  spread 
out  before  us,  is  a  bare,  rocky  plain,  cold,  gray,  and 
very  dreary.  Only  a  few  dwarfed  shrubs,  grasses,  and 
other  poor,  starved-looking  plants,  cover  the  earth. 
Away  in  the  distance,  against  the  dark-blue  sky,  rising 
far  above  us,  are  cone-shaped  peaks,  covered  nearly  from 
top  to  bottom  with  mantles  of  snow,  and  shining  in  the 
sunlight  like  silver  mountains.  Many  of  these  are  vol- 
canoes, and  they  are  all  very  high. 

7.  Here  and  there,  all  over  this  dreary  plain,  are  little 
villages,  with  herds  of  llamas  feeding  on  the  scanty  pas- 
tures. The  llamas  are  natives  of  these  cold  heights, 
and  were  once  found  wild  in  great  numbers.  They 
have  been  tamed,  and  are  now  used  by  the  people  of 


100  GEOGBAPHICAL  BEABEB, 


the  Andes  to  carry  goods  up  and  down  the  dangerous 
slopes.  They  are  very  useful;  because,  though  quite 
small  and  slow,  they  are  gentle.  They  are  also  per- 
fectly sure-footed,  never  stumbling  nor  slipping  on  the 
most  difficult  mountain  paths,  where  hardly  any  other 
animal  can  travel. 

8.  After  we  have  crossed  the  summit  cf  this  great 
range,  we  descend  into  a  beautiful  valley,  beyond  which 
is  another  range,  as  high  and  as  rugged  as  the  first  one. 
In  this  valley,  with  the  high  mountain-walls  and  the 
snowy  volcanoes  shutting  it  in  on  every  side,  we  find 
again  constant  spring.  The  earth  is  adorned  with  for- 
ests, grain-fields,  orchards,  and  gardens,  in  the  midst  of 
which  are  bright  rivers,  blue  lakes,  villages,  and  great 
cities. 

9.  Here,  long  ago,  lived  a  people  resembling  those 
who  built  cities  on  the  table-land  of  Mexico.  All  the 
inner  valleys  cf  the  Andes  were  full  of  their  cities  and 
temples,  rich  in  gold  and  silver ;  while  broad,  fine  roads 
led  from  one  valley  to  another.  These  cities,  like  those 
of  Mexico,  were  finally  found  by  the  white  men.  The 
people  Avere  conquered,  and  their  noble  works  destroyed 
by  the  conquerors,  who  cared  only  for  their  gold  and 
silver.  Finally  the  mines  were  discovered,  and  the 
cities  were  rebuilt  by  the  new  inhabitants. 

10.  Among  the  trees  of  these  valleys,  is  a  beautiful  one 
called  the  cacao.  It  is  somewhat  like  the  cherry-tree  in 
size  and  form,  and  bears  a  fruit  containing  a  number  of 
oily  kernels.  From  these  kernels  is  prepared  the  deli- 
cious chocolate,  so  much  used  upon  our  tables. 

11.  Another  tree,  very  precious  to  the  people,  grows 
in  some  of  the  warmest  of  the  valleys.     It  is  the  cow- 


ACBOSS   THE  AND£S. 


101 


tree.  When  the  bark  is  cut,  there-  fiows  oUt  fidm  it  an 
abundant  juice,  white  and  a  little  gummy,  with  a  very 
pleasant  taste  and  smell.  It  flows  most  freely  about 
sunrise.  Then  you  may  see  Indians  and  negroes  coming 
from  all  directions  to  the  trees,  with  large  vases  or  jugs 
which  they  fill  with  this  sort  of  milk.  They  are  very 
fond  of  it,  and  it  makes  a  nutritious  food. 

12.  The  highest  of  the  inner  valleys  are  cold  and 
dreary,  like  the  plains 
on  the  summit  of  the 
range;  but  even  some 
of  these  have  mining 
cities,  and  the  food  for 
the  thousands  of  people 
who  live  and  work  there 
is  nearly  all  brought  by 
the  llamas  from  the 
warm,  fruitful  valleys 
below. 

13.  Here  and  there, 
perched  on  the  high- 
est rocks,  is  the  condor^  the  largest  bird  that  flies.  It 
is  often  very  troublesome  to  the  people  of  the  high 
valleys,  carrying  away  their  lambs  and  kids,  and  some- 
times even  their  little  children. 

14.  The  second  range  is  just  as  difficult  to  cross  as 
the  first  one.  Descending  it  to  the  foot  of  the  moun- 
tains, we  find  again  the  rich  forests,  growing,  blooming, 
and  bearing  fruit  in  the  long  summer,  which  lasts  all 
the  year.  And  now  we  come  at  once  to  the  shore  of 
the  great  Pacific;  for  the  Andes  lie  close  along  the 
western  border  of  the  continent. 


A  Condor. 


102  GEOGIiArPniCAL  HEADER. 


IV. -ON  THE  LLANOS, 
lla'-nos  [Pya'-noz].     |        las'-so.  I        O-ri-no'-co. 

1.  North  of  the  Amazon  is  another  great  river,  also 
flowing  from  a  mountain  country  through  a  vast  plain, 
north-eastward,  into  the  Atlantic.  This  is  the  Orinoco. 
The  plains  of  the  Orinoco,  like  those  of  the  Amazon,  are 
quite  level.  Nowhere  can  a  hill  of  any  size  be  seen,  but 
here  and  there  a  sort  of  table  of  naked  rock  rises  up 
above  the  level  surface  of  the  ground. 

2.  Along  the  banks  of  the  river,  and  on  the  rocky 
islands  in  the  midst  of  it,  are  dense  forests,  like  those 
which  border  the  Amazon ;  but  elsewhere,  all  over  the 
great  plain,  not  a  tree  can  be  seen.  These  treeless 
plains  are  called  llanos^  meaning  open  plains. 

3.  Through  the  llanos,  at  the  end  of  the  dry  season, 
the  river  winds  between  low,  flat  banks,  everywhere 
fringed  with  narrow  bands  of  green  forests  or  grasses. 
All  the  vast  plain  beside  is  dead  and  desolate.  The 
earth  is  black  and  dry ;  and  the  hot  sun  pours  down 
upon  it,  without  even  a  cloud  between  to  shield  it  from 
the  burning  rays. 

4.  Now  the  rains  begin.  Torrents  of  water  fall;  and 
in  a  few  days  the  river  fills  up,  and  overflows  its  banks. 
Grass  and  flowers  spring  up  all  over  the  plains ;  and 
in  a  short  time  the  wide  llanos  are  carpeted  with  green, 
dotted  with  gold,  crimson,  purple,  and  every  brilliant 
color. 

5.  Herds  of  wild  horses  and  cattle  pasture  upon  the 
rich  grass,  which  is  soon  tall  enough  to  hide  them  from 


ON   THE  LLANOS. 


103 


view ;  or  dash  over  the  plains,  pursued  by  swift  riders, 
who  catch  them  with  a  long  rope  fastened  firmly  to  the 
saddle.  This  rope  is  called  a  lasso.  It  is  wound  into  a 
ring,  or  coil,  and  held  in  the  right  hand ;  and,  Avhen  the 
rider  is  near  enough  to  the  animal  he  wishes  to  catch, 
he  throws  it  with  all  his  might.     He  is  so  skilful,  that. 


Lassoing  Cattle. 

as  the  coil  unwinds,  a  noose  at  its  end  is  sure  to  fall 
around  the  horns  or  head  of  the  animal,  so  that  it  can- 
not possibly  escape  him.  Now  the  strong,  brave  horse 
holds  himself  firmly  braced,  and  lets  the  poor  beast  pull 
at  the  lasso  until  it  is  tired  out,  when  it  is  drawn  up 
and  secured. 

6.  The  air  is  filled  with  insects;  and  the  moist  earth 
swarms  with  snakes,  lizards,  frogs,  and  turtles.     Great 


104  GEOGRAPHICAL   BEADER. 


alligators  watch  by  the  river-side  for  the  animals  thai 
come  down  to  drink ;  and  the  jaguar,  from  the  forest, 
comes  here  to  prey  upon  the  herds  which  feed  on  these 
rich  pastures. 

7.  By  and  by  the  rainy  season  is  over,  and  the  sun 
pours  down  again  its  burning  heat.  After  a  few  weeks, 
the  river  shrinks  away  to  its  former  size,  all  the  little 
pools  and  streams  that  were  formed  over  the  plain  are 
gone.  At  length  the  earth  is  dry  and  liard,  and  cracked 
in  every  direction  ;  and  the  beautiful  green  grass  has 
become  yellow  and  dried  everywhere,  except  close  along 
the  borders  of  the  river.  The  dry,  hot  wind  raises  thick 
clouds  of  dust,  and  makes  the  air  seem  warmer  instead 
of  cooler.  The  red,  dazzling  sunlight  nearly  blinds  you, 
and  the  heat  makes  you  weak  and  sick. 

8.  Now  you  do  not  see  any  frogs  nor  snakes ;  for  they 
know  when  the  dry  season  is  coming,  and  bury  them- 
selves in  the  earth,  to  sleep  until  it  is  past,  just  as  they 
do  in  our  country  during  the  winter.  They  do  not  like 
the  very  dry,  hot  weather  any  better  than  they  do  the 
cold.  The  swarms  of  insects  are  all  dead;  and  the 
horses  and  the  cattle  are  driven  away  to  pastures  near 
the  mountains,  for  they  would  die  without  water.  The 
whole  plain  is  deserted  and  silent. 

9.  The  herdsmen  set  fire  to  the  dried  grass  in  order 
to  clear  the  ground  for  a  new  growth.  Now  the  whole 
great  plain,  for  hundreds  of  miles,  is  swept  by  the 
flames,  every  thing  is  destroyed,  and  the  earth  is  left 
black  and  bare,  as  we  first  saw  it.  This  is  one  reason 
why  no  trees  grow  here.  Every  little  one  which  may 
start  during  the  wet  season  from  seed  scattered  over  the 
ground  is  killed  by  the  drought  and  the  fires  each  year. 


UP   THE  LA   PLATA,  105 


v.— UP  THE  LA  PLATA. 


La  Fla'-ta 

[lah-2)lah'-tah]. 
pam'-pas. 


Pa-ra-na' 

[pali-rah-ncih']. 
Gran  Cha'-co  [chah'-]. 


Gau'-cho 

[(/oio'-c/io]. 
gar-lop-ing  [-htp-]. 


1.  South  of  the  Amazon  is  still  another  large  river. 
Like  the  Mississippi,  it  gathers  its  waters  from  the 
mountain-lands  east  and  west  of  it,  and  flows  southward 
through  a  great  plain.  Near  the  mouth  it  is  called  the 
La  Plata;  but  the  long  stream  above  is  named  the 
Parana. 

2.  The  plains  of  the  La  Plata,  called  pampas^  are  not 
like  those  of  the  Mississippi,  nor  yet  like  the  selvas  nor 
the  llanos.  There  are  no  great  forests,  nor  rich  prairies ; 
but,  instead,  the  ground  is  covered  during  the  wet  sea- 
son with  coarse  grass  growing  two  or  three  yards  high, 
mixed  with  clover  and  thistles  even  higher.  They  are 
so  large  that  they  seem  like  young  trees,  more  than  like 
the  plants  of  the  same  kind  which  we  are  accustomed 
to  see. 

3.  In  some  places,  are  great  forests  of  these  tall, 
strong  thistles,  so  dense  that  it  is  impossible  to  pass 
through  them,  except  by  the  paths  made  by  the  herds 
of  wild  horses  and  cattle  that  feed  upon  the  pampas. 
It  is  very  dangerous  to  travel  through  these  thickets ; 
for  robbers  hide  themselves  beside  the  paths,  and  kill 
and  rob  those  who  come  Avithin  their  reach.  For  this 
reason  there  is  little  travelling  across  the  pampas,  ex- 
cept during  the  dry  season,  when  the  thistles  are  dead 
and  burned,  like  the  grasses  of  the  llanos. 


106 


GEOGBAPHICAL  BEABEB, 


4.  The  inhabitants  of  the  pampas  are  either  Indians 
or  a  race  of  half-breeds,  called  Gauchos,  The  Gauchos 
are  a  half-wild  people,  spending  almost  their  whole  time 
on  horseback,  and  riding  the  swiftest  and  wildest  horses 
easily  and  safely.  They  sleep  npon  the  gronnd,  with 
only  their  mantles  to  cover  them,  and  are  very  proud  of 

their  wild,  free  life. 
They    fear    nothing 
but  the  jaguar  and 
the      Indians,      and 
even  of   these  they 
are  not  much  afraid. 
The  little  boys,  when 
not  more  than  four 
years  old,  ride   per- 
fectly   well.      They 
are     able     to     help 
their    fathers    drive 
herds    fro  m 
to    place    for 
pastures,  and 
begin     them- 


the 

place 

fresh 


A  Gaucho  and  an  Indian. 


soon 


selves  to  catch  and  tame  the  fleet  wild  horses. 

5.  There  were  not  always  wild  horses  and  cattle  on 
the  llanos  and  pampas.  Before  the  white  people  came, 
these  plains  were  covered  with  native  animals,  as  thickly 
as  the  selvas  now  are.  The  white  people  brought  the 
first  horses  and  cattle  with  them  from  Europe ;  and 
they  have  increased  in  numbers  so  fast  as  to  drive 
away  from  these  rich  pastures  nearly  all  the  native 
animals  that  once  fed  upon  them. 

0.  Farther  up  the  river,  the  pampas  disappear ;  and 


UP    THE  LA   PLATA. 


107 


the  plains  through  which  the  Parana  flows  are  rich 
prairies,  with  timber  along  the  streams.  Here  and  there 
over  the  prairies,  are  low  round  hills  covered  with  trees, 
looking  like  islands  in  the  great  sea  of  grass. 

7.  Toward  the  sources  of  the  river,  the  w^oodlands  in- 
crease, and  there  is 
only  here  and  there 
a  little,  bright  prairie 
smiling  among  their 
darker  green.  This 
is  the  Gran  Chaco^  or 
great  hunting-ground 
of  the  Indians;  and 
they  can  be  seen  on 
their  fleet  horses,  gal- 
loping over  the  prai- 
ries, gathering  them- 
selves together  on  the 
banks  of  the  river, 
ready  for  the  chase. 
They  and  the  wild 
beasts  of  the  forest 
alone  have  possession 
of  these  rich  plains. 

8.  One  day  we  shall 
see  these  streams  bordered  with  cities,  and  covered  with 
swift  steamers  bearing  away  the  cotton,  the  coff'ee,  and 
the  sugar,  which  will  then  be  growing  where  now  are 
only  forests  and  wild  prairies.  You  know  that  it  is  not 
a  great  while  since  the  cotton-plantations  and  grain- 
farms  along  the  Mississippi  were  wild  forests  and  prai- 
ries, with  the  Indians  for  their  only  inhabitants. 


The  Gran  Chaco. 


THE  ATLANTIC  OCEAN. 


LIFE  ON  AND  IN  THE  OCEAN. 
New'-found-land  [-fund-].     \     con'-ti-nent.  |     har-poon'. 

1.  East  of  North  and  South  America,  you  remember, 
is  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  Beyond  the  ocean,  are  two  other 
continents,  —  Europe,  which  is  opposite  us;  and  Africa, 
opposite  Mexico  and  South  America.  The  northern 
end  of  the  Atlantic  joins  the  frozen  ocean  of  the  north, 
on  the  shores  of  which  the  Esquimaux  live;  and  the 
southern  end  joins  another  frozen  ocean  beyond  South 
America.  You  see  that  those  parts  of  it  must  be  very 
cold ;  but  the  middle  is  warm,  like  the  lands  beside  it. 

2.  In  every  part  of  this  ocean,  are  ships  going  to 
and  fro  between  the  continents  that  border  it,  carrying 
goods  and  people  from  one  country  to  another.  Great 
steamers,  also,  built  on  purpose  to  carry  travellers,  are 
constantly  plying  between  our  large  sea-ports,  like  New 
York  and  Boston,  and  the  ports  of  Europe.  They  go 
as  fast  as  possible  all  the  time,  —  day  and  night;  but 
the  ocean  is  so  very  broad,  that  they  are  eight  or  ten 
days  in  crossing  it. 

3.  Before  people  began  to  build  steamers,  it  took 
much  longer  to  cross  the  Atlantic.  The  ships  go  only 
about  half  as  fast  as  the  steamers ;  and  if  there  is  bad 

108 


LIFE  ON  AND  IN   THE   OCEAN, 


109 


weather,  they  may  be  hindered  so  as  to  take  a  month  or 
more  for  the  voyage.  In  a  calm,  the  great  ships  drift 
lazily,  with  their  broad,  drooping  sails  bathed  in  sun- 
light ;  but  the  steamers  dash  along  at  their  usual  rate, 
pouring  into  the  air  clouds  of  black  smoke,  and  raising 
a  great  foam  and  flurry  along  their  path. 


An  Ocean  Steamer  leaving  Port. 

4.  Sometimes  both  ships  and  steamers  set  out  with 
every  thing  fair,  and  are  never  heard  of  afterward. 
Some  take  fire  and  are  burned  in  mid-ocean;  others 
spring  a  leak  and  sink.  Others  still  are  driven  by  storms 
far  out  of  their  course,  and  injured  so  that  they  cannot 
get  back.  Then  they  may  drift  about  for  days,  and 
finally  sink,  without  ever  being  seen. 


110  GEOGRAPHICAL   BEADEB. 


6.  In  crossing  the  Atlantic,  we  are  for  many  days 
far  from  the  sight  of  any  land.  All  around  us,  is  the 
great  world  of  water,  stretching  away  to  the  horizon, 
with  perhaps  not  even  a  ship  in  view.  The  sun  seems 
to  come  up  out  of  the  sea  in  the  morning,  and  to  sink 
into  it  at  night.  You  would  almost  believe  the  ocean 
to  be  the  whole  world,  and  the  people  in  the  ship  the 
only  ones  on  its  surface. 

6.  But  the  sea  is  full  of  life.  In  some  places,  are  miles 
and  miles  of  sea-weed  growing  on  the  top  of  the  water ; 
in  others,  are  immense  schools  of  dolphins  swimming  for 
days  beside  the  ship,  sometimes  darting  almost  out  of 
the  water,  and  making  graceful  curving  lines  at  every 
motion.  Timid  little  flying-fish  leap  out  into  the  air 
when  they  want  to  escape  an  enemy.  Great  flocks  of 
sea-birds  sail  about  on  the  wing,  or  dive  into  the  sea 
after  fish,  or  float  on  the  surface  to  rest. 

7.  But  the  most  wonderful  thing  to  see  is  the  ocean 
itself,  on  a  quiet  night.  Sometimes  the  ship  leaves  a 
path  of  light  behind  it,  on  the  broad  dark  waters ;  and 
every  little  creature  that  plays  on  the  surface  is  sur- 
rounded by  a  circle  of  light,  making  the  ocean  very 
beautiful.  You  see  there  are  many  things  that  even 
children  can  learn  about  the  great  ocean  ;  but  there  are 
very  many  other  things  for  you  to  learn  by  and  by. 

8.  Besides  the  ships  that  transport  passengers  and 
goods,  there  are  others  which  take  men  away  to  the 
cold  parts  of  the  ocean,  to  catch  the  whale.  When 
a  whale  is  seen,  some  of  the  sailors  get  into  a  small, 
strong  boat,  and  row  toward  it.  Fastened  to  the  boat, 
are  long,  stout  ropes,  with  sharp  spears,  called  harpoons^ 
attached  to  the  ends.     When  the  boat  has  come  near 


LIFE  ON  AND  IN   TUE   OCEAN. 


Ill 


enough,  the  master  stands  up,  and  throws  a  harpoon 
with  all  his  force,  and  fixes  it  in  the  body  of  the  whale. 

9.  He  plunges  down  deep  into  the  water,  and  the 
boatmen  let  the  rope  out  longer  and  longer,  so  that  the 
boat  will  not  be  drawn  down  too.    They  know  he  can- 


Whale-Fishing. 

not  stay  under  long,  for  he  must  come  to  the  top  to 
breathe.  The  master  has  another  harpoon  ready  to 
strike  him  again  when  he  comes  up,  and  soon  he  is 
killed.  But  sometimes  the  angry  whale  strikes  the  boat, 
and  breaks  it  in  pieces ;  and  then,  if  another  boat  were 
not  by  to  help  them,  all  the  sailors  would  be  drowned. 


112 


GEOGBAPUICAL   READER. 


10.  The  body  of  the  whale  is  now  brought  alongside 
the  vessel,  and  fastened  to  it,  so  that  it  cannot  float 
away.  The  men  stand  on  the  back,  and  cut  off  the  fat, 
which  is  boiled  in  great  kettles  in  order  to  get  the  oil. 
This  is  put  into  barrels  to  be  carried  home.  The  ship 
stays  in  the  whale-fields  until  it  obtains  a  full  cargo  of 
oil,  so  the  sailors  are  sometimes  gone  for  three  years. 

11.  There  are  vessels  engaged  in  other  kinds  of  fishery, 
in  parts  of  the  Atlantic.  Opposite  the  mouth  of  the 
St.  Lawrence,  is  a  large  island,  called  Newfoundland, 
Around  this  island,  the  sea  is  thronged  with  fine  fish ; 
and  hundreds,  and  sometimes  thousands,  of  vessels,  are 
occupied  there  during  the  season  for  fishing.  The 
waters  all  along  the  coasts  abound  in  excellent  fish,  and 
great  numbers  of  little  fishing-vessels  are  flitting  here 
and  there  in  pursuit  of  them. 


EUROPE. 

L- ENGLAND. -THE  COUNTRY. 

Eng'-land  [//iiy'-Zajid].   |     Ire'-land.  |     Scot'-land. 

1.  Near  the  coast  of  Europe,  in  the  Atlantic  Ocean, 
are  two  great  islands,  named  Great  Britain  and  Ireland, 
Great  Britain  was  once  divided  into  three  separate 
countries,  —  England,  Scotland,  and  Wales.  They  are 
now  all  united  in  one,  though  people  still  use  these 
names  for  the  different  parts  of  the  island. 

2.  England  is  a  lovely  country.  Wherever  you  go, 
you  will  find  the  pretty,  neat  farms  separated  by 
hedges  instead  of  fences.  There  are  hedges,  too,  skirt- 
ing the  roadsides  and  lanes;  and  the  fields  are  fresh 
and  green,  as  though  the  whole  country  were  a  carefully 
tended  garden.  Here  and  there,  is  a  great  house  or 
castle,  very  large,  old,  and  strong,  though  not  always 
very  attractive.  In  it  live  the  rich  people  who  own  all 
the  land  for  several  miles  around  it.  Their  fathers  and 
grandfathers  have  lived  there  before  them,  not  quite 
ever  since  the  world  began,  but  for  a  very,  very  long 
time  \  and,  therefore,  they  are  fond  and  proud  of  their 
great  old  castles. 

3.  Around  the  castle,  are  beautiful  parks,  with  fine 
large  trees  shading  them,  —  elms  and  oaks  and  beeches, 

113 


114  GEOGHAPIIWAL   BEABER. 


SO  old  that  nobody  can  tell  when  they  were  planted ; 
and  the  grass  is  so  thick  and  soft  that  your  feet  are 
almost  buried  in  it  while  Avalking.  In  the  parks,  are 
pretty  gray  deer,  with  timid  little  fawns  keeping  close 
beside  their  mothers,  and  almost  afraid  to  be  looked  at. 
There  are,  also,  rabbits,  hares,  partridges,   and   many 


Windsor  Castle. 


other  kinds  of  animals  and  birds,  which  make  the  parks 
pleasant. 

4.  Near  the  castle,  is  often  a  village  of  neat  white 
cottages,  with  its  church,  its  school-house,  and  its  shops. 
Around  the  village,  are  fields  of  golden  wheat  waving 
in  the  summer  sunshine,  and  green  pastures  full  of 
sheep  and  cows,  quietly  cropping  the  grass  or  dozing  in 


ENGLAND.  —  THE  COUNTRY.  lU 


the  shade.  There  are  meadows,  too,  where  the  farmers 
are  piling  the  fragrant  new-mown  hay  on  the  great 
carts ;  while  boys  and  girls  follow  the  load  with  their 
rakes  to  gather  up  every  bit  that  falls. 

5.  Haymaking  and  harvest  are  merry  times  in  Eng- 
land for  both  young  and  old :  but  I  think  you  would 
like  the  spring  best,  when  the  hedges  are  white  with 
flowers ;  when  the  orchards  are  rosy,  and  there  are  so 
many  little  singing  birds  that  you  almost  believe  every 
blossom  has  a  voice. 

6.  There  are  such  green  fields,  neat  hedges,  old  cas- 
tles, and  pretty  villages,  all  over  England ;  but  there 
are  many  people  in  England  who  never  see  any  of  them, 
—  many  children  who  never  see  the  lambs  skip  in  the 
pastures,  never  hear  the  birds  sing,  never  rake  hay  in 
the  meadows,  nor  gather  flowers  from  the  hedges  and 
the  pastures  in  spring-time. 

7.  There  are  mountains  in  England,  not  very  high 
ones,  it  is  true,  not  even  so  high  as  the  Appalachians ; 
but  they  are  very  important,  because  they  are  full  of 
iron,  coal,  copper,  tin,  and  other  valuable  minerals.  To 
get  these  things  from  the  earth,  somebod}^  must  go 
away  out  of  the  sunshine,  out  of  sight  of  the  green 
fields,  out  of  hearing  of  the  pretty  singing-birds,  and 
live  and  work  down  deep  within  the  earth,  where  the 
sun  never  shines,  and  no  sound  is  ever  heard  but  the 
voices  and  hammers  of  the  miners,  and  the  creaking  of 
their  machinery.  There  they  stay  all  the  time,  working 
under  the  ground,  sometimes  not  seeing  the  sunlight 
even  for  a  whole  year. 

8.  Do  you  suppose  you,  or  any  child,  would  like  to 
live  in  such  a  place?    Yet  there   are   many  children 


116  GEOGRAPHICAL   READER. 


who  live  there  year  after  year,  working  in  the  mines 
with  their  fathers  and  brothers.  There  are  not  many 
things  which  they  are  strong  enough  to  do ;  but  they 
open  and  shut  the  gates  between  different  parts  of  the 
mine,  Avhen  the  loads  of  ore  are  passing,  and  do  other 
things  of  that  kind,  for  wliich  they  do  not  need  to  be 
very  strong.  When  they  go  up  out  of  the  mine,  they 
must  all,  men  and  children,  get  into  a  kind  of  basket, 
and  be  drawn  up,  very  much  as  you  draw  water  out  of 
a  well  in  a  bucket. 


II. -THE  CITIES  IN  ENGLAND. 
Thames  [Temz],  |   Lon'-don  [Lun'-dun].    \   Man'-ches-ter. 

1.  There  are  large  cities  in  England,  where  very 
many  people  live,  and  buy  and  sell  goods,  or  work  in 
factories  and  mills  of  different  kinds.  One  of  these, 
named  Lofidon^  is  the  largest  city  in  the  world.  You 
might  start  from  one  side  of  it  early  in  the  morning, 
and  walk  all  day,  passing  nothing  but  houses  and  shops 
and  churches  and  other  buildings,  and  yet  you  would 
hardly  reach  the  other  end  of  it  before  night. 

2.  This  great  city  is  built  on  both  sides  of  the  River 
Thames^  not  very  far  from  the  sea-shore.  There  is  often 
much  fog  in  the  air,  from  the  river  and  the  sea.  It  is 
not  a  light,  thin  fog,  such  as  you  may  see  on  a  sum  . 
mer  morning  above  the  little  brooks  and  ponds  in  the 
country ;  but  the  smoke  from  the  ten  thousand  chim- 
neys of  this  great  city  mingles  with  it,  and  makes  it 
almost  black.  Sometimes  it  is  so  dark  that  the  people 
are  obliged  to  light  lamps  in  their  houses  and  in  the 


TUE  CITIES  IN  ENGLAND. 


117 


streets  in  the  middle  of  the  day.  Even  then  they  may 
lose  their  way  in  going  from  their  shops  to  their  homes, 
because  they  cannot  see  enough  to  know  through  what 
streets  they  are  passing. 

3.  Many  fine  bridges  cross  the  Thames,  binding  the 


London  and  the  Thanries  River. 

parts  of  the  city  together ;  and,  besides  these,  there  is 
a  passage,  or  tunnel.,  under  the  river,  from  one  side  of 
it  to  the  other.  There  are  thousands  of  ships  all  the 
time  upon  the  stream.  Some  are  coming  into  the  city 
from  all  parts  of  the  world,  with  food,  clothing,  and 
many  other  things  for  the  multitudes  of  people  who  live 
there.  Others  are  going  out,  loaded  with  articles  to 
be  sold  in  distant  countries. 


118  GEOGBAPIIICAL   READER. 


4.  Besides  the  great  ships  and  steamers,  little  steam- 
boats are  constantly  moving  up  and  down  the  river, 
like  stages,  to  take  passengers  from  one  part  of  the  long 
city  to  another;  while  others  carry  people  back  and 
forth,  across  the  stream.  Along  its  banks,  are  great 
warehouses  for  storing  goods,  and  miles  of  wharves  and 
docks,  to  furnish  room  for  loading  and  unloading  the 
vessels. 

5.  In  other  parts  of  the  city,  are  large,  beautiful  parks. 
One,  which  is  very  fine,  has  the  Queen's  palace  looking 
down  upon  it.  There  are  many  splendid  palaces,  many 
grand  old  churches,  and  famous  public  buildings,  that 
you  would  like  to  see. 

6.  Manchester  is  another  great  city  of  England,  though 
it  is  not  nearly  so  large  as  London.  You  will  see  here 
thousands  of  cotton-factories,  with  great  smoking  chim- 
neys. The  whole  city  is  filled  with  them ;  and  almost 
all  the  people  work  in  them  or  have  something  to 
do  with  them.  Even  children,  no  larger  than  many  of 
you  are,  go  early  in  the  morning  and  work  all  day  in 
the  hot,  close  rooms,  where  they  are  half  deafened  by 
the  rattling  machinery.  Don't  you  think  they  must  get 
very  tired  ?  These  mills  make  the  beautiful  calicoes  and 
muslins  which  are  used  all  over  England,  and  are  also 
packed  in  boxes,  and  sent  by  ship-loads  to  all  parts  of 
the  world. 

7.  Liverpool^  also,  is  an  important  city.  It  is  near 
Manchester,  on  the  sea-shore,  and  is  the  place  to  which 
the  ships  bring  the  cotton  for  the  mills,  and  the  food 
for  the  people  who  work  in  them ;  for  Manchester  is 
not  on  the  sea-shore.  Most  of  the  cotton,  and  a  large 
part  of  the  grain,  are  sent  from  our  country.     There  is 


SCOTLAND  AND  IRELAND.  119 

a  railroad  from  Liverpool  to  Manchester,  by  which  these 
things  are  sent  back  and  forth  between  them.  There 
are  very  many  other  cities  in  England  about  which  you 
will  like  to  learn  at  another  time  ;  and  there  are  so  many 
railroads,  that  the  whole  country  seems  covered  with  a 
network  of  iron  bands. 


III.  — SCOTLAND  AND  IRELAND. 
High'-land-ers.  |  Ed'-in-burgh  [-bur-ruh].  |  Em'-er-ald. 

1.  Scotland  is  not  much  like  England,  but  is  full  of 
hills  and  rugged  mountains.  Some  of  them  have  high, 
steep  slopes,  with  bare,  black  rocks,  and,  in  many  places, 
terrible  precipices,  which  make  travelling  dangerous. 
Some  of  these  mountains  are  covered  with  thick  forests 
of  pines  and  fir-trees.  In  the  winter  they  are  loaded 
with  snow,  and  look  very  beautiful. 

2.  On  the  lower  mountains  and  hills,  are  many  green 
pastures;  and  all  summer  you  will  see  them  covered 
with  flocks  of  sheep,  for  most  of  the  people  in  these 
mountain  lands  are  shepherds.  Boys  and  girls,  and 
sometimes  men,  stay  with  their  flocks  all  day,  to  watch 
them,  and  keep  them  from  getting  lost  in  the  forest. 

3.  To  help  them  guard  the  sheep,  the  shepherds  have 
fine  dogs,  that  seem  to  know  almost  as  much  as  some 
people.  When  a  sheep  is  lost,  the  shepherd's  dog  will 
be  sure  to  find  where  it  has  gone ;  and,  if  he  sees  one 
going  too  far  away  from  the  flock,  he  will  run  after  it, 
and  drive  it  back.  At  night  the  flocks  are  driven  into 
a  fold^  and  the  dogs  alone  guard  them. 


120 


GEOGRAPUICAL   llEAUKll. 


4.  Among  these  mountains,  there  are  many  streams 
with  fine  waterfalls,  and  many  beautiful,  clear  mountain 
lakes,  like  those  in  New  England.  In  the  forests,  deer 
abound;  and  the  Highlanders^  as  the  people  of  the 
mountain  country  are  called,  are  very  fond  of  hunting 
them. 

5.  Scotland  is  quite  a  cold  country,  and  has  a  great 
deal  of  rainy  weather. 
One  rainy  day  a  trav- 
eller asked  a  Scotch- 
man if  it  rained  so  all 
the  time.  "No,  sir," 
said  he  :  "sometimes 
it  snows."  What  do 
you  think  of  a  coun- 
try in  which  it  rains 
or  snows  most  of  the 
time? 

G.  Scotland  contains 
many  cities,  but  none 
are  so  large  as  the  great 
cities  in  England.  Ed- 
inburgh is  the  finest, 
though  not  the  largest.  '-°'=^  t"-^"^^!  Lomond. 

It  is  built  on  hills  with  narrow  valleys  between  them. 
Some  valleys,  though  they  have  no  rivers,  have  bridges 
across  them,  to  save  the  trouble  of  going  up  and  down. 
In  crossing  these  bridges,  you  see  houses  and  shops  un- 
derneath, instead  of  water. 

7.  There  is  one  hill  with  a  fine  old  castle  on  the  top ; 
and  another  that  has  pleasant  walks  winding  around  it 
to  the  summit,  and  many  beautiful  statues  and  build- 


SCOTLAND  AND  IRELAND.  121 


ings  scattered  among  trees  and  flowers.  From  these 
hills,  you  can  see,  not  only  the  country  all  about,  but 
also  the  ocean.  The  air  is  clear  and  fresh,  and  not 
filled  with  fog  and  smoke  as  in  London.  Many  of  the 
streets  are  broad  and  pleasant ;  but  others  are  so  nar- 
row, that  people  standing  in  their  doorways  can  shako 


An  OW  Castle. 

hands  with  their  neighbors  on  the  other  side  of  the 
street. 

8.  Ireland  has  an  abundance  of  rain,  and  is  a  warmer 
country  than  either  England  or  Scotland.  Its  plains 
and  hills  are  always  fresh  and  green,  and  it  is  often 
called  the  Emerald  Isle.  It  is  the  first  land  of  Europe 
reached  by  the  steamers  which  cross  the  broad  ocean; 
and  you  can  imagine  how  charming  it  must  look  to 
travellers  who  have  seen  nothing,  during  eight  or  ten 
days,  but  the  blue  sky  above  and  the  blue  sea  below. 


122  GEOGRAPHICAL   UEABEB. 


The  southern  part  is  full  of  hills  and  low  mountains, 
and  among  them  are  the  most  beautiful  lakes  and 
streams. 

9.  In  many  parts  of  the  country,  there  are  places  in 
which  the  moist  earth  seems  to  be  one  mass  of  little 
roots  and  dead  and  decaying  plants.  These  are  peat 
hogs.  The  turf,  or  peat,  when  gathered  and  dried,  is 
burned  instead  of  wood.  It  makes  a  hot  fire,  and  is 
almost  the  only  fuel  of  the  country  people ;  for  wood 
is  very  scarce. 


IV.  — FRANCE. -THE  COUNTRY, 
chest'-nut  [c/ies-].  |  peas'-ant  [pez-].  \  mu-si'-cian  [-zish'-an]. 

1.  France,  on  the  continent  of  Europe,  is  but  a 
short  distance  from  Great  Britain.  The  two  countries 
are  separated  by  the  English  Channel^  the  narrowest 
part  of  which  is  the  Strait  of  Dover, 

2.  This  is  a  pleasant  land,  full  of  broad  plains,  green 
hills,  and  fresh  valleys ;  and  in  some  parts  are  rugged 
mountains.  It  is  much  warmer  than  England.  In  the 
north,  there  is  very  often  foggy  and  cloudy  or  rainy 
weather;  but  in  the  south  the  air  is  clearer,  and  the 
sky  more  sunny. 

3.  Still  I  think  that  people  who  travel  in  France  do 
not  admire  this  country  so  much  as  England ;  for  the 
owners  of  the  land  do  not  take  the  same  pains  to  make 
it  beautiful.  But  you  will  see  in  some  places  what  you 
do  not  see  in  England.  In  the  warmer  parts,  there  are 
large  orchards  of  fig-trees  full  of  their  soft,  sweet  fruit ; 


FRANCE. —  THE  COUNTRY.  123 


groves  cf  olive  and  mulberry  trees ;  and  an  abundance 
of  peaches,  pomegranates,  and  other  excellent  fruits, 
which  do  not  grow  in  England,  because  it  is  not  warm 
enough. 

4.  You  will  find,  in  other  places,  apple,  pear,  and  plum 
trees,  sometimes  growing  by  the  roadside  ;  fields  of  wheat 
and  other  grain,  and  of  beets  raised  for  sugar;  and 
flax,  with  its  slender  pale-green  stalk,  and  its  pretty 
blue  flowers,  like  bright  eyes  looking  up  to  the  sunlight. 
In  the  forests  which  grow  on  the  hills  and  mountains, 
are  tall  elms,  and  oaks  full  of  glossy  brown  acorns,  and 
beeches  that  bear  the  little  three-cornered  nuts  which  all 
children  like. 

6.  But  the  best  of  all  the  trees  for  the  country  people, 
OY  peasants.,  who  live  on  these  rough  lands,  is  the  chest- 
nut. You  have  all  eaten  chestnuts,  and  like  them,  I 
presume;  but  what  would  you  think  of  having  only 
roasted  chestnuts,  and  a  piece  of  oatmeal  bread,  and  a 
cup  of  water,  for  breakfast,  or  dinner,  or  supper?  The 
peasants  use  chestnuts  as  a  part  of  their  food.  These 
grow  much  larger  than  the  American  chestnut;  and 
sometimes,  w^ere  it  not  for  them,  many  persons  would 
starve. 

6.  What  I  think  would  please  you  most,  is  the  vine- 
yards^ which  can  be  seen  in  all  the  warmer  parts  of 
France.  You  would  not  think  them  very  beautiful ;  for 
the  vines  are  planted  by  the  side  of  wooden  stakes, 
hardly  higher  than  your  head,  above  which  the  main 
stalk  is  never  allowed  to  grow.  The  branches  extend 
from  one  stake  to  another,  and  form  long  lines  of  vines, 
with  spaces  between  them  only  wide  enough  to  walk  in. 

7.  But,  if  you  go  to  the  vineyard  when  the  fruit  is 


124 


GEOGRAPHICAL   READER. 


ripe,  you  will  see,  as  you  walk  through  the  narrow 
paths,  large  clusters  of  delicious  grapes  on  each  side, 
from  the  top  to  the  bottom  of  the  vines.  They  fill  the 
air  with  their  delightful  fragrance,  and  if  you  put  them 
in  your  mouth,  you  Avill  find  their  taste  even  finer  than 
their  odor ;  and  you  may  forget  to  notice  that  the  vine- 
yard looks  not  a  little  like  a  field  of  potato-vines. 

8.  Now,  early  in  the  morning,  the  boys  and  girls,  and 


Vintage  in   France. 

men  and  women,  come  out  from  the  neighboring  villages, 
each  with  basket  in  hand,  and  then  what  a  merry  time 
they  have  !  They  laugh  and  sing,  tell  funny  stories, 
and  do  all  sorts  of  amusing  things  while  filling  their 
baskets,  and  their  mouths  too,  with  the  delicious  fruit. 
9.  Every  little  while,  you  will  see  a  strong  man  carry- 


FRANCE.  —  THE  COUNTRY.  125 


iiig  on  his  back  a  great,  deep  basket,  fastened  to  his 
shoulders,  and  reaching  above  the  top  of  his  head.  Into 
this  the  people  who  are  gathering  the  grapes,  empty 
their  smaller  baskets.  When  it  is  filled,  lie  carries  it 
away  to  the  road  which  runs  through  the  middle,  or  by 
the  side,  of  the  vineyard,  and  empties  his  juicy  load  into 
casks  ready  to  receive  it. 

10.  By  the  side  of  each,  is  a  man  having  in  his  hands 
a  crusher,  like  a  mallet  with  a  long  handle.  As  fast  as 
the  grapes  are  put  into  the  casks,  they  are  pressed,  in 
order  to  break  the  skins,  so  that  the  juice  may  escape. 
When  the  casks  are  all  full  of  the  crushed  grapes, 
they  are  driven  away  to  the  press.  There  the  juice  is 
pressed  out,  and  then  stored  away,  and  left  to  ferment 
and  become  wine. 

11.  All  this  the  merry  French  people  greatly  enjoy. 
Sometimes  in  the  evening,  after  they  have  been  all  day 
gathering  grapes,  the  owner  of  the  vineyard  employs 
musicians  to  play  for  them.  They  dance  until  they  are 
tired,  and  then  go  to  their  homes  and  sleep  until  the 
morning  comes  to  give  them  another  such  merry  day. 
The  vineyards  all  belong  to  the  rich  people,  but  the 
peasants  are  very  glad  to  help  gather  the  grapes. 

12.  There  are  very  many  people  in  France.  For  this 
reason  there  is  not  much  land  for  each  one  of  the  peas- 
ants, and  some  of  them  are  very  poor.  They  do  not  eat 
white  bread  every  day,  with  plenty  of  meat  and  butter, 
as  our  farmers  do  ;  but  they  have  a  kind  of  black  bread, 
that  is  quite  heavy  and  bitter.  The  most  fortunate  have 
a  chicken,  or  a  piece  of  pork,  on  Sunday ;  but  many 
have  meat  only  once  a  year,  and  that  on  Christmas. 

13.  This  seems  strange  to  you,  and    I   suppose  you 


126 


GEOGHAPIIICAL  HEADER, 


think  they  cannot  be  very  happy.  But  they  are  the 
merriest  people  in  the  world ;  and  the  little  black-eyed, 
black-haired,  rosy-cheeked  peasant  boys  and  girls,  with 
their  bare  feet,  coarse  dresses,  and  brown  bread  and 
chestnuts,  are  just  as  happy  as  children  who  have  much 
more  than  they. 


V.~SOMB  FRENCH  CITIES. 


bou'-le-vard  [boo'-le-var]. 
Tui'-le-ries  [twe'-le-ree]. 
Notre  Dame  [notr'  dam]. 


mu-se'-um. 
e-lys'-i-an  [-Uz'-]. 
Seine  [smie]. 


Mar-seiUe'  [sale'']. 
Khone  [rone]. 
Med'-i-ter-ra'-ne-an. 


1.  France,  like  England,  is  full  of  fine,  large  cities. 
The  largest  is  Paris^  the  capital,  and  one  of  the  most 
magnificent  cities  in  the  world.  Extending  all  round 
the  inner  part  of  the  town,  are  handsome  streets,  called 
Boulevards,  They  have  a  broad  carriage-way  in  the 
middle,  then  rows  of  fine  trees,  beneath  which  are  side- 
walks as  wide  as  a  common  street,  and  as  smooth  as  a 
floor. 

2.  Handsome  vehicles,  drawn  by  splendid  horses,  are 
constantly  rolling  along  the  carriage-way;  w^iile  the 
sidewalks  are  thronged  with  elegantly  dressed  people. 
But  the  Boulevards  are  gayest  in  the  evening,  when  the 
shops  that  border  them  are  all  brilliantly  lighted,  and 
the  display  of  carriages  and  merry  people  is  even  greater 
than  during  the  day. 

3.  In  these  shops,  and  others  all  over  Paris,  you  will 
find  all  sorts  of  most  beautiful  goods.  There  are  silks, 
laces,  muslins,  bonnets,  and  shawls,  and  handsome  cloths 
of  all  kinds  for  ladies'  and  gentlemen's  clothing.    There 


SOME  FRENCH  CITIES.  127 


are  shops  full  of  elegant  jewelry,  and  others  where  all 
sorts  of  ornaments  for  parlors  are  kept.  The  toy-shops 
are  a  wonder,  containing  almost  every  thing  that  any 
boy  or  girl  could  desire.  It  would  take  a  long  time 
to  name  even  a  small  part  of  the  toys ;  but  think  of 
those  you  admire  and  wish  for  most,  and  you  may  be 
sure  that  they  can  be  found  in  the  shops  of  Paris. 

4.  Here,  also,  are  spacious  gardens,  in  which  are  groves 
of  trees,  and  clusters  of  bright  flowers,  with  numerous 
monuments  scattered  among  them,  and  fountains  cool- 
ing the  air.  Pleasant  walks  and  broad  carriage-ways 
wind  among  the  trees  and  flowers;  and  neat  benches 
are  placed  in  the  most  beautiful  spots,  where  people 
may  sit  with  their  friends,  and  enjoy  the  charming 
scenes.  These  gardens  are  always  filled  with  merry 
people,  riding,  walking,  or  resting;  and,  when  lighted 
in  the  evening,  they  are  very  gay  places. 

5.  In  the  JElysian  Fields^  and  in  the  Gardens  of  the 
Tuileries^  you  may  always  find  a  throng  of  children 
with  their  nurses.  Here  are  kept  pretty  little  carriages, 
drawn  by  goats,  in  which  the  children  may  ride  about 
if  they  like  ;  and,  as  you  may  suppose,  they  find  it  de- 
lightful to  do  so.  There  are  also  halls,  or  galleries, 
filled  with  rare  and  beautiful  paintings  and  statues; 
and  museums  of  curious  things  that  have  been  collected 
from  all  parts  of  the  world.  There  is  one  place,  called 
the  Garden  of  Plants^  in  which  is  a  collection  of  living 
plants  and  animals,  from  all  countries. 

6.  Paris  is  built  on  both  sides  of  the  River  Seine^  and, 
like  London,  has  many  bridges,  some  of  which  are  very 
handsome.  It  is  adorned  with  arches  and  columns, 
erected  by  the  different  kings  and  emperors  who  have 


128  GEOGRAPHICAL   BE  A  DEB. 


ruled  over  France,  in  honor  of  their  brave  and  wise 
men,  or  of  the  victories  which  their  armies  have  gained. 
There  are,  also,  many  famous  churches  and  palaces. 
You  will  often  hear  of  the  Notre  Dame^  one  of  the  finest 
churches,  and  of  the  Tuileries^  which  was  once  the  em- 
peror's palace. 

7.  Another  of  the  cities  of  France  is  celebrated  far 


The  Elysian  Fields. 

and  wide,  on  account  of  the  elegant  silk  goods  which 
are  made  there.  This  is  Ly'on,  Almost  half  the  peo- 
ple of  the  city  are  workers  in  silk.  These  silk-makers 
do  not  work  constantly  in  great  factories  full  of  ma- 
chinery, as  do  the  people  who  make  cotton  goods  in 
Manchester.  They  have  little  machines  in  their  own 
houses ;  and,  hiring  two  or  three  other  people  to  help 


SOME  FRENCH  CITIES,  129 


them,  they  weave  the  beautiful  pieces  of  silk,  ribbon,  or 
velvet,  when  ordered  by  the  silk-merchants. 

8.  Sometimes  they  have  nothing  to  do  for  a  long 
while,  and  suffer  much,  because  this  is  their  only  way 
of  getting  money.  They  all  live  in  one  part  of  the  city, 
on  a  hill  between  the  two  livers  on  the  banks  of  which 
Lyon  is  built.  The  largest  of  these  is  the  Rhone^  of 
which  you  will  learn  more  another  time. 

9.  The  hills  that  slope  up  from  the  river-banks  are 
covered  with  tall,  beautiful  buildings  shaded  with  fine 
trees,  and  are  ornamented  with  many  noble  monuments. 
This  makes  the  city  look  very  pleasant ;  but,  if  you  go 
about,  you  will  not  like  it  so  well.  The  streets  are 
narrow  and  disagreeable ;  and  by  the  side  of  magnifi- 
cent structures,  you  will  often  find  ruinous  old  houses, 
and  dust  and  dirt  so  thick  that  you  can  hardly  bear  to 
walk  about. 

10.  The  streets  that  lead  up  the  hill-sides  are  very 
crooked,  and  sometimes  so  steep  that  it  has  been  neces- 
sary to  make  stairways  in  some  places.  But,  after  you 
are  upon  the  top  of  the  highest  hill,  you  will  feel  well 
repaid  for  the  hard  walk  you  have  had.  From  this 
hill-top  you  can  see  the  whole  city,  with  the  two  rivers 
gliding  like  silver  bands  among  its  beautiful  buildings ; 
the  green  valley  of  the  Rhone,  with  the  great  plain  at 
the  west  of  it ;  and  even,  far  away  to  the  east,  the  high 
Alps^  looking  like  masses  of  purple  clouds. 

11.  Marseille  is  another  fine  city.  It  is  on  the  coast  of 
the  Mediterranean  Sea,  —  an  arm  of  the  Atlantic  which 
separates  Europe  from  Africa.  This  is  a  much  warmer 
place  than  Paris  or  Lyon,  and  has  much  less  rain.  It  is 
in  that  part  of  France  which  has  the  bright,  sunny  sky, 


130  GEOGBAPniCAL   BEABEB. 


where  the  grapes  grow  so  rich  and  sweet.  The  city  is 
built  aroiiiicl  a  little  bay,  and  has  a  fine  harbor,  where 
you  may  see  ships  from  all  parts  of  the  world,  and  hear 
many  different  languages  spoken. 

12.  One  part  is  called  the  Old  City,  In  this  the  streets 
are  narrow,  and  the  houses  are  high  and  old  and  dark. 
The  other  part,  called  the  New  City^  has  straight,  broad 
streets,  with  fine  houses  and  numerous  shops,  like  those 
of  Paris.  One  street  has  many  beautiful  fountains, 
supplied  with  water,  brought  in  a  canal  from  the  hills 
many  miles  away. 

i'5.  The  country  around  Marseille,  is  not  all  beautiful 
like  that  around  Lyon.  In  some  places  it  is  very  dry, 
and  you  can  hardly  see  a  green  leaf  or  a  blade  of  grass. 
The  houses  have  nothing  to  make  it  pleasant  about 
them  but  the  sea-view.  This  is  so  charming,  with  the 
blue  and  quiet  waters  dotted  with  green  islands,  and 
the  clear,  sunny  sky  overhead,  that  it  makes  one  almost 
forget  how  dreary  it  is  on  the  land.  But  other  parts 
have  no  need  of  a  view  of  the  sea  to  make  them  pleas- 
ing; for  there  are  green  valleys  filled  with  vineyards, 
and  groves  of  olive,  orange,  and  mulberry  trees. 

14.  These  are  not  all  of  the  fine  cities  in  France. 
There  are  others  in  the  interior  as  remarkable  for 
cotton-mills,  linen-factories,  and  iron-works  as  Lyon  for 
its  silk-looms ;  and  still  others  on  the  coast,  which  are 
famous  as  markets  for  wine,  brandy,  and  fruits,  or  for 
the  elegant  manufactures  of  the  country.  But,  after  all, 
France  is  not  nearly  so  crowded  as  Great  Britain ;  for, 
though  more  than  twice  as  large,  it  has  not  so  many 
great  cities ;  and  Paris  itself  is  but  little  more  than  half 
the  size  of  London. 


HOLLAND,   BELGIUM,    THE  NOBTU  COUNTBIES.    131 


VI. -HOLLAND,  BELGroM,  AND  THE  NORTH 
COUNTRIES. 


Hol'-land. 
Bel'-gium  [-ji-um]. 


Am'-ster-dam. 
Swe'-den. 


Den'-mark. 
Nor-we'-gi-an  [-J?-]. 


1.  Holland,  a  small  but  very  interesting  country, 
lies  in  the  low  plains  about  the  mouth  of  the  Rhine. 
The  ground  is  so  low  and  flat,  that  it  is  hard  work  to 
keep  the  sea  from  overflowing,  and  covering  it  entirely. 
There  are  many  lakes  and  marshes  along  the  shore. 


Winter  in  Holland. 


The  people  build,  around  these,  banks  of  earth,  called 
dikes^  to  keep  out  the  sea,  then  pump  the  water  from 
them  until  they  are  dry,  and  so  change  them  into  rich 
meadows. 


132 


GEOGRAPHICAL   READER. 


2.  Canals  run  all  through  the  country,  to  drain  away 
the  water ;  and  in  summer  you  will  see  the  people 
moving  about  in  little  boats,  instead  of  going  in  car- 
riages, by  roads,  as  in  other  countries.  In  winter  the 
canals  all  freeze  over,  and  then  are  covered  with 
skaters.  The  farmers'  wives  skate  to  market,  with 
their  baskets  of  butter  or  other  things  on  their  heads. 
The  men  in  the  villages  and  cities  skate  to  their  places 
of  business,  and  the  children  skate  to  school. 

3.  The  Hollanders  are  called  Dutch,  and  it  was  from 

this  country  that  the  peo- 
ple came  who  first  settled 
New  York.  They  are  very 
industrious,  and  nowhere 
in  the  world  will  you  find 
better  farmers  than  they. 
The  rich  meadows  are  full 
of  fine  sleek  cows,  from  the 
milk  of  which  excellent 
butter  and  cheese  are  made. 
The  Dutch  are  great  fisher- 
men too.  They  catch  her- 
ring  in   the    sea    between 

England  and  Holland,  but  go  to  distant  parts  of  the 
ocean  for  the  cod  and  the  whale. 

4.  Amsterdam  is  a  city  of  Holland.  It  is  full  of  canals 
instead  of  streets ;  and  the  ships  which  bring  goods  to 
the  merchants  can  sail  to  the  doors  of  the  shops  to  be 
unloaded. 

6.  Belgium  lies  between  Holland  and  France,  on  the 
sea-shore  opposite  England.  It  is  much  like  Holland, 
but  not  so  flat  nor  so  damp.     It  is  more  densely  peopled 


Dutch  Windmill. 


HOLLAND,   BELGIUM,    THE  NORTH  COUNTRIES.     133 


than  any  other  country  in  Europe.  The  land  is  divided 
into  little  farms  not  larger  than  a  common  field  in  one 
of  the  farms  of  our  country.  But  the  soil  is  so  fertile, 
and  the  farmer  is  so  very  industrious,  that,  small  as  his 
lot  seems  to  us,  he  is  able  to  get  a  living  from  it. 

6.  He  sows  wheat  in  one  corner,  and  rye  in  another, 
some  clover  for  the  cows  in  one  part,  and  some  flax,  to 
make  linen  for  clothing,  in  still  another.  The  cows  are 
kept  in  a  stable,  and  the  children  must  gather  weeds 
and  grass  to  feed  them.  Besides,  there  is  a  pig,  and 
some  hens,  and  sometimes  a  goat,  to  be  taken  care  of; 
and  the  house  to  be  kept  clean,  and  the  flax  to  be  spun. 
Thus,  you  see,  there  is  enough  for  all  to  do. 

7.  Denmark,  Sweden,  and  Norway  are  still  far- 
ther north.  Denmark  and  Southern  Sweden  are  low 
lands,  but  much  colder  than  Holland.  Norway  is  a 
high,  rugged,  mountainous  country,  and  is  very  cold. 
The  tops  of  the  mountains  are  covered  with  snow, 
from  which  great  masses  of  ice  creep  down  to  the  val- 
leys, sometimes  reaching  even  to  the  sea-shore.  Here 
they  are  often  broken ;  and  the  end,  falling  into  the 
sea,  forms  an  iceberg,  which  goes  floating  away  toward 
the  warmer  parts  of  the  ocean  until  it  melts  and  dis- 
aj)pears. 

8.  On  the  lower  slopes  of  the  mountains,  are  tall, 
dense  forests  of  pines  and  fir-trees.  Rich  ores  of  iron, 
also,  abound.  The  coasts  are  thronged  with  wild  ducks 
and  geese  and  other  water-fowl,  and  the  sea  is  filled 
with  excellent  fish.  The  hardy  farm  products  also 
thrive  in  all  the  warmer  portions. 

9.  Many  of  the  Norwegians  work  in  the  forests,  cut- 
ting down  the  tall,  straight  trees,  which  they  send  away 


134 


GEOGRAPHICAL   READER. 


to  Denmark,  Germany,  and  even  to  England  and 
France,  to  be  used  for  masts  of  vessels.  Great  numbers 
work  in  the  mines,  or  catch  fish  along  the  coast ;  and 
many,  also,  are  sliepherds. 

10.  In  summer  the  cattle  and  sheep  are  driven  away 
to  the  mountain  pastures,  where  they  are  taken  care  of 

fl     • 


Coast  of  Norway. 

by  children  and  by  the  old  people,  while  the  strong  men 
are  busy  in  the  forests,  the  mines,  or  the  fisheries.  The 
Lapps^  in  the  northern  part  of  Sweden  and  Norway, 
having  tamed  the  reindeer,  obtain  almost  their  whole 
living  from  it.  They  feed  upon  its  milk  and  flesh,  make 
their  clothing  and  tents  of  its  skin,  and  train  it  to  draw 
their  sledges  from  place  to  place  in  winter. 


SPAIN.  135 


VIL- SPAIN. 


Mad-rid'.  I         Pyr'-e-nees.  I        Pa'-los. 

Me-ri'-no  [-ree-].       \         Port'-u-gal  [-oo-],    \         Span'-iard  [-yard]. 

1.  Spaijst  is  a  large  country  lying  en  the  coast  south- 
west of  France.  Between  them  is  a  high  mountain- 
range.  Its  steep  slopes  are  covered  with  forests,  and  are 
broken  by  narrow  valleys,  full  of  bright,  rapid  streams, 
with  hundreds  of  foaming  waterfalls.  High  up  above 
the  forests,  whose  glossy  green  leaves  are  never  black- 
ened by  frosts,  are  handsome  flowering  shrubs  and 
mosses.  Still  higher  are  the  bare  mountain-peaks,  cov- 
ered nearly  all  the  year  with  snow  and  ice. 

2.  This  mountain-range  is  the  Pyrenees,  The  passes 
that  lead  over  it  are  difficult  and  dangerous  every- 
Avhere,  except  at  the  ends  of  the  range.  The  forests 
are  the  home  of  many  mountain-goats,  and  other  fleet, 
surefooted  animals,  which  leap  from  rock  to  rock  with 
the  greatest  agility. 

3.  Crossing  the  Pyrenees,  and  going  southward,  we 
find  ourselves  at  length  on  a  high  table-land,  —  the  roof 
of  Spain  as  it  might  be  called.  It  is  dry,  sterile,  and  so 
dusty,  that  even  the  few  cultivated  fields  seem  hardly 
less  dreary  than  they  would  be  without  a  green  leaf 
upon  them.  The  small,  poor  villages  are  so  covered 
with  the  dust  blown  upon  them  by  the  terrible  winds, 
that  they  become  as  gray  as  the  ground,  and  at  a  short 
distance  can  hardly  be  distinguished  from  it. 

4.  Here  and  tliere  the  high,  dreary  table-land  is  cut 
by  a  deep  valley,  through  which  flows  a  river;    and 


136  GEOGRAPHICAL  READER. 


there,  sheltered  from  the  sweeping  wmds,  are  beauti- 
ful orchards  and  gardens.  But  elsewhere  little  grows 
except  poor,  coarse  grasses.  In  spring  and  autumn 
these  furnish  pasture  for  thousands  of  fine-wooUed 
merino  sheep ;  but  in  the  long  dry  summer  the  whole 
surface  is  parched  and  dead.  Now  the  merinos  arc 
driven  northward  to  fresh  pastures  near  the  moun- 
tains. In  winter  they  go  down  into  the  sheltered 
valleys  to  escape  the  storms  and  the  cold,  which  are 
very  severe. 

5.  From  this  high  table-land  in  the  centre  of  Spain, 
long  mountain-ranges,  having  broad,  beautiful  valleys 
between  them,  extend  away  to  the  sea  at  the  east,  south, 
and  west.  These  mountains  are  rugged  and  broken. 
Many  are  covered  with  forests,  which  are  the  homes  of 
multitudes  of  wolves;  while  the  glens  and  caves  are  fre- 
quently the  shelter  of  robbers.  Thus  travelling  in  the 
mountainous  regions  is  not  only  unpleasant,  but  often 
dangerous. 

6.  In  the  forests,  are  many  valuable  trees.  Among 
them  is  a  kind  of  oak,  the  bark  of  which  is  the  cork^  so 
useful  in  many  ways.  Another  oak  bears  a  small,  sweet 
acorn,  which  is  much  relished  by  the  people.  It  is  eaten 
either  uncooked,  or  boiled  or  roasted,  as  the  French 
peasants  eat  chestnuts.  Were  we  visiting  in  the  parts 
of  the  country  where  it  grows,  it  would  be  offered  to 
us  as  a  great  delicac}'. 

7.  The  highest  of  the  mountain-ranges  in  Spain,  like 
the  highest  in  California,  is  called  the  Sierra  Nevada^ 
because  its  summit  is  covered  with  snow,  even  in  mid- 
summer. In  the  warm,  rich  valleys  at  its  foot  are 
orange,   olive,  and  mulbeiTy  groves,  and   gardens   of 


SPAIN. 


187 


pine-apples,  bananas,  and  beautiful  flowers.  No  frost 
ever  withers  them ;  and  no  winter's  cold  robs  them  of 
their  leaves,  their  flowers,  or  their  fruits. 

8.  The  olive^  though  a  very  useful  tree,  is  not  at  all  a 
handsome  one.  Its  long 
narrow  leaves  are  thick 
and  stiff,  and  are  of  a 
dull  grayish  color,  as 
though  covered  with 
dust.  The  branches  are 
rough  and  crooked  ;  and 
the  trunk  looks  as 
though  a  strong  hand 
had  seized  it  by  the  top, 
and  twisted  it,  as  we 
twist  a  cord.  In  spring 
it  is  covered  with  clus- 
ters of  pretty  wliite  flow- 
ers, and  in  autumn  with 
the  small,  dark-green,  plum-shaped  fruit  from  which  the 
olive-oil,  often  called  sweet  oil,  is  pressed.  The  fruit  is 
also  preserved,  and  sent  to  other  countries  to  be  used 
as  a  relish  at  meals. 

9.  Do  you  wish  to  know  the  use  of  the  mulberry- 
trees?  Their  leaves  furnish  the  food  of  the  silkworm. 
Very  many  of  these  worms  are  raised  in  Spain.  When 
they  have  lived  a  certain  length  of  time,  and  are  grown 
to  their  full  size,  they  spin  a  fine  thread,  which  they 
wind  round  their  bodies  until  they  are  completely 
wrapped  up  in  it.  Thus  they  form  a  ball  somewhat 
like  that  made  by  the  caterpillar  from  wliich  a  butterfly 
comes  in  the  spring.     This  ball  of  thread  which  the 


Olive  Tree  and  Fruit, 


138 


GEOGBAPHICAL   BEABER. 


silkworm  spins  is  called  a  cocoon.  Large  quantities  of 
cocoons  are  sent  to  Lyon,  to  be  unwound  and  woven 
Into  elegant  silks. 

10.  There  are  not  such  great  and  busy  cities  in  Spain 

as  in  England  and 
France.  The  largest 
is  Madrid^  the  capital 
of  the  country.  It  is 
on  the  high  table-land, 
in  the  interior,  far  from 
the  sea.  No  ships  can 
come  near  it ;  and  it  is 
without  any  large  river 
upon  which  boats  can 
go  to  the  sea,  or  to 
other  parts  of  the 
country. 

Mulberry  and  Silkworm.  11.    Madrid      is      VCrV 

cold  in  winter,  and  very  hot  in  summer,  and  so  is  not 
an  agreeable  place  in  which  to  live.  Still  the  fountains 
playing  in  all  parts  of  the  city  in  the  summer  make  it 
look  very  pleasant,  and  cool  the  air  nicely.  The  water, 
like  that  of  the  fountains  in  JNIarseille  and  New  York, 
comes  from  the  country  many  miles  away,  and  is  pure 
and  cool. 

12.  The  people  of  Madrid  do  little  work.  Li  the 
morning  the  men  walk  idly  to  and  fro,  with  a  long 
cloak  over  their  shoulders,  and  a  broad  crimson  sash,  in 
which  a  large  knife  is  always  hidden,  tied  about  the 
waist.  The  women  wear  long,  rich  dresses,  with  a  shawl 
around  them,  and  an  elegant  lace  scarf  thrown  over 
their  heads  instead  of  a  bonnet. 


SPAIN. 


139 


13.  After  dinner  every  one,  even  the  workman,  sleeps 
for  several  hours.  In  the  evening  people  go  to  walk  on 
the  Prado^  a  beautiful,  broad  walk  two  miles  in  length, 
which  runs  through  the  city.  Rows  of  elm-trees,  with 
seats  arranged  beneath  them,  shade  it;  and  here  and 
there  are  fountains  playing,  around  which  are  persons 
with  little  cups,  waiting  to  sell  water  to  those  who  are 
thirsty. 

14.  Along  the  sea-shore  are  many  cities,  from  which 
are  shipped 
choice  fruits, 
both  fresh  and 
dried,  wines, 
and  olive  -  oil. 
On  the  south- 
ern coast  is  a 
little  old  town, 
called  Palos^ 
now  all  going 
to  ruin.  From 
this  town,  near- 
ly four  hundred 
years  ago,  three 
small  ships,  fur- 
nished   by    the 

king  and  queen  Fleet  of  coiumbus. 

of  Spain,  sailed  away  under  the  command  of  Christo- 
pher Columbus.  They  went  in  search  of  lands  which 
Columbus  believed  might  be  found  beyond  the  Atlantic 
Ocean.  He  was  sure  that  the  earth  was  round,  and 
that  he  could  go  to  the  Indies  by  sailing  westward. 

15.  When  they  came  back,  after  many  months,  they 


140  GEOGRAPHICAL  BEADEB. 


brought  tidings  of  a  new  land  and  a  new  people 
on  the  other  side  of  the  ocean ;  for  they  had  reached 
some  islands  of  the  West  Indies.  Columbus  made  other 
voyages,  and  found  South  America;  and  soon  after 
North  America  was  reached  by  another  Spanish  ex- 
pedition. Thus  the  Spaniards  discovered  the  New 
World.  It  was  they  who  made  the  first  settlements 
there,  and  who  conquered  and  destroyed  the  rich  old 
cities  in  Mexico  and  the  valleys  of  the  Andes. 

16.  On  the  west  side  of  Spain,  between  a  part  of  its 
territory  and  the  Atlantic,  is  a  narrow  strip  of  country 
so  much  like  Spain,  that  the  traveller  would  hardly  see 
any  difference  between  them.  This  is  Portugal.  Like 
its  greater  neighbor,  Portugal  is  famed  for  its  warm, 
fruitful  valleys  and  the  fine  wines  from  its  vineyards. 


VIII. -ITALY. 


Ven'-ice  [-iss].  I     Ve-su'-vi-us.  I     Her-cu-la'-ne-um. 

gon'-do-la.  |     Na'-ples  [-pZz].  |     Pom-pe'-ii  [-pa' -ye]. 

1.  Italy  is  in  the  South  of  Europe.  It  is  nearly 
surrounded  by  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  and  is  one  of  the 
hottest  countries  in  the  continent.  The  sky  is  almost 
always  blue  and  clear ;  and  the  country,  with  its  moun- 
tains and  green  valleys,  its  vineyards  and  meadows,  is 
always  pleasant.  People  from  all  parts  of  the  world 
go  to  Italy  to  enjoy  the  sunny  sky  and  the  charming 
country,  and  to  see  the  fine  pictures  and  statues,  and 
the  remains  of  magnificent  buildings,  made  by  the  old 
Romans  who  lived  there  hundreds  of  years  ago. 


ITALY. 


141 


2.  The  sun  is  so  very  bright,  that  most  things  grow 
better  by  being  somewhat  shaded.  For  this  reason 
you  will  see  the  fields  planted  with  rows  of  trees, — 
mulberries  and  olives,  elms,  poplars,  and  a  kind  of  pine 


Lake  Maggiore,  in  Italy. 

which  thrives  only  in  warm  countries.  Around  the  foot 
of  these  the  grape-vines  are  planted.  They  climb  the 
tree,  and  cover  its  branches ;  and  shoots  of  the  vine  go 
from  one  tree  to  another,  hanging  between  them  in 
graceful  festoons.  Between  the  rows  of  trees,  wheat 
and  corn  are  planted,  and  fine  crops  are  produced.  You 
see,  therefore,  that  a  vineyard  in  Italy  is  a  very  different 


142  GEOGRAPHICAL   llEABEB. 


thing  from  one  in  France.  The  tall  grain,  the  branches 
of  the  trees,  and  the  slender  twigs  of  the  grape-vine, 
waving  in  the  wind  under  the  blue  sunny  sky,  make, 
as  you  may  suppose,  a  very  pretty  picture. 

3.  Sometimes,  near  a  city,  the  road  for  miles  is  bor- 
dered on  each  side  by  rows  of  grape-vines.  These, 
climbing  upon  trees  or  upon  a  sort  of  framework,  meet 
over  the  road,  making  a  pleasant  shaded  way  for  the 
traveller.  The  rich  ripe  grapes  delight  him  with  their 
fragrance,  and  he  is  allowed  to  gather  all  he  wants  to 
eat  as  he  goes  along ;  but  he  must  not  gather  them 
to  take  away,  for  that  would  be  robbing  other  travellers 
who  may  come  after  him.  How  would  you  like  to 
travel  in  this  country  ? 

4.  Italy  contains  very  many  old  cities.  They  were 
once  full  of  wealthy  people,  with  splendid  palaces, 
churches,  and  buildings  of  all  kinds  ;  but  the  noble 
palaces  have  gone  to  ruin,  and  only  the  precious  marble 
of  which  they  were  built  remains  to  tell  us  how  grand 
they  once  were. 

5.  Rome  is  the  most  remarkable  of  these  cities.  It 
was  built  more  than  two  thousand  years  ago  by  a  brave 
and  skilful  people,  who  did  every  thing  to  make  it 
grand  and  beautiful.  When  our  Saviour  came  on  the 
earth,  the  emperor  of  Rome  ruled  over  nearly  all  of 
the  world  then  known  to  the  Romans. 

6.  There  is  in  Rome  one  of  the  finest  churches  in  the 
world,  named  St,  Peter'' s;  also  a  very  fine  old  palace, 
in  which  lives  the  Pope^  the  head  of  the  Roman  Catho- 
lic Church.  In  both  of  these  buildings  you  find  valua- 
ble paintings  and  sculptures  made  by  men  who  have 
been  dead  hundreds  of  years.      Although  these  have 


ITALY. 


143 


been  studied  by  the  great  artists  from  all  countries,  yet 
none  have  ever  produced  works  of  higher  merit. 

7.  There  are  many  grand  palaces  in  Rome  which  are 
famous  for  their  fine  galleries  of  paintings  and  sculp- 
tures, or  for  their  beautiful  gardens.  Some  are  sur- 
rounded by  orange-trees,  covered  with  snowy  fragrant 


An   Italian  Church. 


flowers   or  delicious  golden  fruit  gleaming  among  the 
glossy  leaves. 

8.  If  you  stand  on  the  shore  in  the  north-eastern  part 
of  Italy,  and  look  away  over  the  water,  you  will  see,  a 
long  way  off,  palaces  and  towers  which  seem  to  rise 
from  the  midst  of  the  waves,  for  you  see  no  land  around 
them.  This  is  Venice^  another  famous  old  Italian  city. 
It  was  built  on  a  great  number  of  small  flat  islands ;  and 


144  GEOGRAPHICAL   REABER. 


its  churches  and  palaces  were  adorned  with  marbles  of 
the  finest  colors,  or  with  white  marble  handsomely 
sculptured.  These,  with  the  sunny  sky  above  them, 
and  the  calm  blue  Avaters  below,  made  it  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  cities  in  the  world. 

9.  Venice  is  still  very  handsome,  though  many  of  its 
finest  buildings  are  almost  in  ruins.  Graceful  little 
boats,  called  gondolas^  glide  about  from  place  to  place 
in  the  quiet  waters  between  the  islands.  The  merry 
songs  of  the  gondoliers  sound  much  more  pleasant  than 
the  rattling  of  carriages  and  heavy  carts  over  the  rough 
pavements,  which  in  other  cities  almost  deafens  us. 

10.  There  are  in  Italy  many  cities  besides  these  inter- 
esting old  ones,  though  there  are  none  so  large  or  so 
important  as  those  of  England  and  France.  Naples  is 
in  the  south  of  Italy,  Avhere  there  is  hardly  a  touch  of 
winter.  It  is  built  on  the  sea-shore,  with  a  broad  blue 
bay  in  front,  and  rough  hills  and  fresh  green  valleys  all 
around  it.  The  valleys  and  hills  are  covered  with 
orange-groves  and  vineyards. 

11.  At  a  little  distance,  is  the  famous  volcano  of 
Vesuvius^  from  which  black  clouds  of  vapor  are  always 
rising.  Its  lower  slopes  are  cultivated  like  the  surround- 
ing country ;  though  the  people  know  that  at  any  time 
the  volcano  may  send  out  a  stream  of  lava  to  burn,  or 
a  shower  of  cinders  to  bury,  them  all. 

12.  At  times,  when  the  orange-groves  and  vineyards 
are  bathed  in  the  beautiful  sunUght,  the  cattle  quietly 
feeding  in  the  pastures,  and  the  people  peacefully  work- 
ing or  resting  in  their  pleasant  homes,  a  sudden  noise 
like  thunder  is  heard  in  the  earth,  and  the  mountain 
begins  to  tremble.     The  animals  run  about  in  terror, 


.S  WITZERLANl).  145 


and  tlie  people  know  that  they  must  hasten  to  escape 
the  danger  that  is  coming.  They  go  away  into  Naples 
or  to  some  other  place,  far  enough  from  the  mountain 
to  be  safe.  On  coming  back,  they  sometimes  find  their 
vineyards  and  villages  all  destroyed ;  but  they  are  not 
afraid  to  settle  themselves  again  upon  the  slopes,  for 
they  know  that  the  volcano  is  not  likely  to  do  any  more 
harm  for  years. 

13.  Two  great  cities,  with  a  large  number  of  the  in- 
habitants, were  once  buried  under  substances  thrown 
out  from  Vesuvius.  Their  names  were  Herculaneum  and 
Pompeii,  For  nearly  eighteen  hundred  years  no  one 
knew  the  place  where  they  had  been ;  but  now  they 
have  been  found,  and  parts  of  them  are  uncovered. 
People  can  enter  the  houses,  and  see  how  they  were 
arranged,  and  how  people  lived  in  those  old  times. 
Many  curious  and  beautiful  things,  made  before  our 
Saviour  came  into  the  world,  are  found  in  these  buried 
cities. 


IX.  -  SWITZERLAND. 


Swit'-zer-land.  I  av'-a-lanche.  I  cham'-ois  [sham' -my]. 

Ge-ne'-va.  I  gla'-cier  [//Za-seer].         |  al'-pine  {pin\ 

1.  Switzerland  is  a  small  but  famous  country  east 
of  France.  The  first  thing  oue  thinks  of  in  hearing  this 
name  is  the  Alps.,  a  high,  rugged  mountain-range.  Its 
lower  slopes  are  covered  with  vineyards,  orchards, 
wheat-fields,  and  meadows,  with  pleasant  villages  in 
every  valley.  Higher  up  are  green  forests  of  oak  and 
walnut,  then  tall,  dark  pines  and  firs. 


146 


GEOGBAPniCAL  UEABEB, 


2.  Above  these,  are  clusters  of  low  shrubs  covered 
with  bright  flowers,  and  green  pastures,  with  hundreds 
of  fat,  sleek  cows  feeding  upon  them.  Little  cottages 
are  scattered  all  about,  for  the  men  who  take  care  of 
the  cows.     Still  higher  are  the  tall  sharp  peaks,  cov- 


View  in  the  Alps. 


ered  with  ice  and  snow,  and  glistening  like  silver  in  the 
sunshine.  These  are  the  highest  mountains  in  Europe, 
and  among  the  grandest  in  the  world.  They  fill  all 
the  southern  half  of  Switzerland,  and  separate  it  from 
Italy. 

3.  Thousands   of   bright    streams   flow   through  the 


*S  WITZEnL  A  NT).  147 


pleasant  green  valleys,  leaping  over  precipices,  and 
making  fine  waterfalls.  Some  of  these  are  so  liigh, 
that  the  water,  in  falling,  changes  into  fine  spray ;  and 
the  fall  looks  like  a  shower  of  white  dust  coming 
from  the  sky.  Sometimes  the  streams  go  leaping  and 
dancing  into  little  basin-like  hollows,  or  deep  gorges 
among  the  mountains.  Tliese  make  beautiful  lakes, 
that  smile  in  the  sunshine,  reflecting  the  snowy  peaks 
above  them  or  the  green  forests  around. 

4.  High  up  in  the  mountains,  beyond  the  forests  and 
green  pastures,  the  valleys  are  no  longer  gay  with 
streams  that  dance  and  sparkle  and  sing ;  but  in  their 
stead  are  rivers  of  ice^  creeping  along  so  slowl}^,  so  very 
slowly,  that  they  seem  not  to  move  at  all.  It  is  only 
after  watching  them  a  long  time,  and  trying  them  in 
many  ways,  that  people  have  found  out  that  they  do 
move.     They  are  called  glaciers. 

5.  In  the  cold  winter,  the  heights  where  the  glacier 
is  formed  look  very  dreary,  all  buried  in  deep  snow ; 
but,  when  the  spring  comes,  tlie  snow  melts  away,  and 
there  is  left  only  the  great  ice-river  in  the  valley.  The 
mountain-slopes  on  both  sides  of  it  are  covered  with 
fresh  green  grass  and  pretty  mountain  flowers.  How 
strange  that  must  seem !  Sometimes  flowers  grow  and 
blossom,  even  on  the  top  of  the  ice,  in  the  little  heaps 
of  earth  that  have  gathered  there  by  falling  from  the 
rocks  above. 

6.  These  ice-rivers  go  over  precipices  too,  and  make 
cataracts  of  ice  all  broken  and  split  into  every  possible 
shape.  Some  of  them  are  very  grand.  In  the  lower 
valleys,  where  the  summer  is  quite  warm,  the  end  of 
the  glacier  melts  away  as  fast  as  it  descends.     Thus  it 


148 


GEOGRAPHICAL   READER. 


advances  no  farther,  but  the  meltmg  ice  forms  a  fine 
stream  of  water.  Tlie  Rhone,  which  flows  through 
Lyon,  in  France,  springs,  in  this  way,  from  one  of  the 
glaciers  of  the  Alps. 

7.  Up  among  the  snowy  peaks,  from  which  the  gla- 
ciers descend,  terrible  avalanches  are  sometimes  formed. 
During  or  after  a  winter  storm,  a  m.ass  of  snow  becomes 
loosened  from  the  rock  on  which  it  fell,  and  begins  to 
roll  down  the  mountain.  As  it  moves  onward,  the  snow 
on  which  it  rolls  clings  to  it,  making  it  larger  and  heav- 
ier every  moment,  until  it  becomes  an  immense  body. 
Now  it  rushes  along  as  swiftly  as  the  wind,  dashing 
down  the  forest-trees  in  its  path,  and  never  stopping 
until  it  has  reached  the  valley  at  the  foot  of  the  slope, 
where  it  sometimes  buries  whole  villages. 

8.  The  wild  mountain-peaks,  where  few  except  the 

bravest  hunters 
can  go,  are  the 
home  of  the 
small,  graceful 
chamois.  It  is  a 
very  fleet  and 
sure-footed  ani- 
mal,  and    leaps 

nimbly  from  rock  to  rock,  seeking  its  food  even  on  the 
brink  of  precipices,  where  you  would  not  think  it  pos- 
sible for  any  creature  to  stand.  Here,  too,  dwells  the 
great  mountain-eagle^  a  strong,  brave  bird,  that  is  very 
troublesome  to  the  Alpine  shepherds,  robbing  them  of 
their  lambs  and  kids,  and  sometimes  even  of  their  little 
children. 

9.  The  whole  of  Switzerland  is  only  a  knot  of  moun- 


Chamois. 


S  WirZEBLAND.  149 


tains  and  green  valleys,  sparkling  with  briglit  streams 
and  clear  mountain-lakes.  Every  little  valley  has  its 
villages,  and  all  the  larger  ones  have  pleasant  cities, 
many  of  which  are  beside  the  beautiful  lakes.  You 
see,  therefore,  that,  though  a  small  country,  it  contains 
many  inhabitants.  They  are  a  strong,  brave  people, 
who  love  their  mountains  and  valleys  so  much,  that 
they  can  never  bear  to  leave  them,  and  are  ready  to 
fight  and  die  for  their  homes. 

10.  The  peasants,  who  have  their  small  farms  on  the 
mountains,  keep  cows  and  goats;  and  many  of  them 
spend  the  whole  summer  making  cheese.  As  soon  as 
the  snow  is  gone,  the  men  go  with  their  herds  away  up 
to  the  high  mountain-pastures.  There  they  stay  until 
the  snow  comes  again  in  the  autumn,  living  in  little 
cottages  in  the  pastures,  taking  care  of  their  cows,  and 
having  scarcely  any  thing  but  milk  and  cheese  to  eat. 
In  autumn  they  come  down  again,  bringing  with  them 
their  cheeses,  which  they  sell  in  the  cities. 

11.  It  is  a  very  merry  time  when  the  cows  go  to  the 
pastures  in  tlie  spring.  The  whole  village  to  which 
the  herdsmen  belong  has  a  holiday ;  and  their  friends 
go  with  them  part  of  the  way,  shouting,  singing,  and 
making  themselves  merry  in  every  way. 

12.  In  many  villages,  all  the  winter,  the  people  are 
carving  from  wood  curious  vases,  knives,  boxes,  spoons, 
figures  of  cheese-makers,  of  hunters  with  their  chamois, 
and  many  other  things.  These  are  sold  as  curiosities 
to  travellers  who  visit  the  mountains. 

13.  Some  of  the  valleys,  though  quite  high  and  cold, 
are  yet  full  of  pleasant  villages  and  cities,  where  almost 
everybody  is  making  watches.    Geneva  is  the  great  mar- 


150  GEOGBAPIIICAL   BEABEB. 


ket  of  the  watch-makers.  It  is  a  very  beautiful  town 
beside  Lake  Ge7ieva^  one  of  the  largest  lakes  of  the 
30untry. 


X.- GERMANY. 


Ban'-ulDe.  I  Rhine  [Bine].  I  Mu'-nich  [-nik]. 

Ger'-ma-ny.  |  Ber-lin'.  |  Prus'-sia  [Frysh'-ia] 

1.  There  is  a  broad  mountain-land  extending  nortli- 
ward  from  the  Alps,  the  mountains  becoming  constantly 
lower  and  lower.  Two  great  rivers  flow  through  it,  — 
the  Danube,  going  east;  and  the  JRhine,  going  north. 
They  are  the  longest  rivers  in  all  the  western  part  of 
Europe. 

2.  This  mountain  country  is  divided  into  many  little 
states,  —  almost  as  many  as  there  are  separate  ranges 
and  different  valleys  and  basins.  In  all  these  the  Ger- 
man language  is  spoken ;  and  they  are  united  into  one 
great  empire  called  Germany.  Thus  Germany  is  not 
the  name  of  a  single  state,  like  France  or  England,  but 
of  many  united. 

3.  The  southern  part  is  much  like  Switzerland,  with 
its  mountains  covered  with  dark  forests  and  green  pas- 
tures ;  its  wood-cutters,  chamois-hunters,  and  milkmen ; 
and  its  mountain  villages,  wood-carvers,  and  toy-makers. 
It  is  full  of  deep  gorges,  bordered  by  high  and  some- 
times very  steep  walls  of  rock,  and  is  the  most  inter- 
esting part  of  Germany. 

4.  Here  and  there,  on  the  top  of  the  highest  rocks, 
is  a  gray  old  castle,  where,  years  ago,  bold  men  lived. 
They  were  always  having  quarrel;^,  with  each  other,  and 


GERMANY. 


151 


put  their  strong  castles  in  these  places  to  keep  out  of 
reach  of  their  enemies.  Sometimes,  while  the  lords 
of  these  strongholds,  and  their  retainers,  were  all  gone 
to  fight  one  enemy,  another  would  come  to  beat  down 
the  castle.  Then  the  ladies  who  were  left  at  home 
were  obliged,  with  their  servants,  to  defend  it  alone. 
There  were  brave  ladies  in  those  days ;  and  sometimes 


A  Castle  on  the  Rhine. 

they  would  drive  the  enemy  away  as  well  as  the  lords 
of  the  castle  themselves  could  do  it. 

5.  Those  things  are  all  past  now.  Many  of  the 
castles  are  without  inhabitants ;  and  bats  and  owls,  rats 
and  mice,  live  where  brave  knights  and  fair  ladies  once 
had  their  home.  Everybody  likes  to  see  those  old  cas- 
tles, and  think  of  the  old  times,  so  different  from  the 
present,  and  of  the  daring  people  of  those  days. 


152  GEOGRAPHICAL  BEADEB. 


6.  Through  this  rough  country  the  Rhine  flows  in  a 
broad,  beautiful  valley,  which,  like  all  the  warm  valleys 
of  Germany,  is  covered  with  orchards  and  vineyards. 
At  length  the  valley  narrows  to  mountain-gorges, 
through  which  the  river  finds  its  way,  among  crags  and 
peaks  crowned  with  ancient  castles.  Then  it  moves 
slowly  onward,  across  low,  flat  plains,  to  the  sea. 

7.  The  part  of  Germany  beyond  the  mountains  is 
very  level,  and  is  covered  with  grain-fields  and  pastures. 
You  may  see  also  large  fields  of  flax,  which  the  German 
women  know  how  to  spin  into  the  finest  threads,  for 
making  the  rich  laces  that  all  ladies  so  much  admire. 
The  plains  extend  northward  to  the  shores  of  the  Baltic 
Sea,  an  arm  of  the  Atlantic  Ocean. 

8.  In  the  Baltic  plains,  is  the  larger  part  of  the  king- 
dom of  Prussia^  the  most  powerful  of  the  German  coun- 
tries. In  the  sands  along  the  coast,  is  found  a  beautiful 
substance  called  amber^  which  you  may  have  seen,  for  it 
is  used  for  beads  and  many  other  ornaments.  After  a 
storm  in  which  the  waves  have  rolled  high,  and  have 
washed  and  beaten  the  sands  of  the  beach,  it  may  often 
be  found  in  large  quantities. 

9.  In  the  western  part  of  Prussia,  in  the  midst  of 
the  plains,  is  the  great  city  of  Berlin^  the  capital  of  the 
German  Empire.  This  city  has  one  of  the  finest  streets 
in  Europe.  At  one  end  cf  it  is  the  King's  palace ;  at 
the  other  is  a  splendid  gate,  leading  through  the  walls 
into  the  country. 

10.  Berlin  contains  a  celebrated  University^  in  which 
young  men  are  taught  any  branch  of  learning  they 
desire  to  study.  Many  of  the  greatest  scholars  of  Ger- 
many have    studied    or   taught   here    for   many  years. 


GERMANY, 


153 


The  University,  and  the  learned  men  it  lias  brought  to 
Berlin,  have  made  the  city  renowned  all  over  the  world. 
There  are  many  other  noted  universities  in  Germany. 

11.  Germany  lias  many  large  cities  besides  Berlin, 
some  of  them  very  old,  and 
full  of  strange  buildings  and 
fine  churches  that  were  built 
hundreds  of  years  ago.  They 
have  very  strong,  dark  walls, 
tall  towers,  and  multitudes 
of  slender  pinnacles ;  and  are 
adorned  with  figures  of  men 
and  animals,  leaves  and 
flowers,  and  many  other  or- 
naments, carved  from  the 
solid  stone. 

12.  Some  of  the  churches, 
though  begun  so  long  ago, 
have  never  been  entirely  fin- 
ished, and  probably  never 
will  be.  Strashurg  Cathedral 
is  one  of  the  old  German 
structures.  Strasburg  is  at 
the  west  of  the  Rhine,  in 
country  conquered  by  the 
French    two    hundred   years 

ago.         It     was     not     "German  Spire  of  strasburg  cathedral. 

again  "  until  taken  from  the  French  in  the  war  of  1870. 

13.  Munich  is  one  of  the  finest  of  German  cities.  It 
is  famous  for  its  elegant  embellishments,  and  valuable 
collections  of  paintings  and  sculptures.  Among  these, 
are  works  of  the  greatest  artists  of  all  Europe. 


154  GEOGRAPHICAL   liEABEli. 


XI. -AUSTRIAN  EMPIRE,   TURKEY,  AND 
GREECE. 

Aus'-tri-a.  I  Vi-en'-na.  I  Hun'-ga-ry  [Ilumi'-']. 

Tur'-key.  |  mosque  [moslc].  \  Con-stan-ti-no'-ple. 

1.  There  is  in  the  central  part  of  Europe,  east  of 
Germany,  a  large  country  called  the  Austrian  Empire. 
The  western  portion  includes  a  part  of  the  Alps,  and 
is  much  like  Switzerland  and  Southern  Germany. 
Through  this  the  Danube  flows,  winding  along  beauti- 
ful valleys,  or  rushing  down  deep  and  narrow  gorges  in 
waterfalls  and  rapids. 

2.  East  of  the  mountains,  is  a  fine  country  of  low  hills 
and  rich  plains,  in  which  are  forests,  grain-fields,  and 
vineyards.  Everywhere  are  villages  and  cities,  some 
of  which  have  stood  for  hundreds  of  years;  and  here 
and  there,  on  rugged  hills,  are  strong  old  castles,  like 
those  in  Germany.  The  largest  of  the  cities  is  Vienna; 
which  is  situated  beside  the  Danube,  near  the  point 
where  it  leaves  the  mountains.  It  is  the  capital  of  the 
empire,  and  contains  the  palaces  in  which  the  emperor 
and  his  family  live,  and  many  other  splendid  buildings. 

3.  Beyond  this  varied  country,  a  broad  plain  stretches 
eastward,  without  hills,  without  trees,  without  roads, 
without  houses.  Along  the  streams  are  immense 
marshes,  which  it  is  almost  impossible  to  cross.  Else- 
where the  plain  is  sandy,  covered  only  by  grass  or  other 
low  plants.  In  some  places,  even  these  do  not  grow ; 
but  the  bare,  loose  sand  is  driven  by  the  winds  into 
ridges  like  snow-drifts. 


AUSTRIAN  EMPIRE,    TURKEY,   AND   GREECE.      155 


4.  East  and  north  of  these  great  plains,  is  another 
mountainous  region.  It  is  covered  with  forests,  and  is 
full  of  rich  deposits  of  gold  and  silver,  copper  and  lead, 
rock-salt,  and  many  other  valuable  minerals.  These 
mountain-lands  and  the  plains  of  the  Danube  are  both 
in  Hungary^  the  largest  division  of  the  Austrian  Empire. 
It  contains  some  of  the  finest  and  richest  portions  of 
Central  Europe. 

5.  South  of  the  Austrian  Empire  is  a  wide  region  of 
small  plains,  mountain-ranges,  and  valleys.  The  Black 
Sea  is  at  the  east  of  it,  the  Mediterranean  at  the  south, 
and  the  Adriatic  at  the  West.  For  several  hundred 
years  this  was  all  one  country,  called  Turkey  in 
Europe  ;  for  the  Turks,  who  came  from  Asia,  conquered 
the  native  peoples. 

6.  Now  the  southern  portion,  and  Roumania  at  the 
north,  form  independent  kingdoms.  The  parts  next 
south  of  the  Danube  have  princes  of  their  own,  and  are 
nearly  independent ;  so  that  only  a  small  strip  through 
the  middle  of  their  former  possessions  is  at  present  con- 
trolled by  the  Turks. 

7.  If  you  were  to  travel  in  Turkey,  you  would  find 
many  things  to  surprise  you,  —  not  in  the  country  itself, 
for  it  is  much  like  the  other  warm  countries  in  Europe, 
but  in  the  appearance  and  manners  of  its  people.  The 
men  wear  long,  loose  robes  falling  down  to  the  feet. 
Around  the  waist  is  a  broad  belt,  or  sash,  in  which  a 
sword  is  usually  carried ;  and  on  the  head  is  a  large 
turban,  instead  of  a  hat. 

8.  The  Turks  have  no  chairs  nor  sofas  in  their  houses, 
but  sit  on  large,  soft  cushions,  or  on  rugs  spread  upon  the 
floor.     The  Turkish  ladies  are  not  taught  even  to  read, 


156 


GEOGRAPHICAL   READER. 


and  are  never  allowed  to  go  into  the  street,  unless 
veiled  so  that  only  their  eyes  can  be  seen.  Then  even 
their  own  husbands  or  fathers  could  not  recognize  them. 


A  Street  Scene  in  Constantinople. 

There,  it  would  be  thought  as  strange  for  a  lady  to  go 
into  the  street  without  a  veil,  as,  in  this  country,  with- 
out shoes. 

9.  On  the  borders  of  Turkey  the  waters  of  the  Black 
Sea  go  south-westward  to  the  Mediterranean,  making  a 
short  but  most  famous  passage  between  Europe  and 
Asia.     The  old  Greeks  had  many  strange  legends  con- 


AUSTRIAN  EMPIRE,    TURKEY,   AND   GREECE,     157 


nected  with  this  stream :  besides,  the  hostile  armies 
that  in  old  times  used  to  pass  from  one  continent  to  the 
other,  were  accustomed  to  cross  here.  It  was  over  this 
stream  that  the  ancient  Persian  king  made  the  bridge 
of  boats  for  his  soldiers  to  cross  on  when  he  attempted 
to  conquer  Greece. 

10.  Near  the  Black  Sea,  on  a  beautiful  expansion  of 
this  outlet  called  the  Golden  ITorn,  is  the  great  city  of 
Constantinople.  The  sunny  blue  sky  above,  the  ships 
with  their  snowy  sails  floating  quietly  on  the  peaceful 
waters,  and  the  great  city  on  the  shore  with  its  gilded 
domes  and  slender  minarets,,  present  a  very  delightful 
view. 

n.  The  city  itself  looks  fine  as  you  see  it  from  a  dis- 
tance ;  but,  on  entering  it,  you  find  the  streets  narrow, 
dirty,  and  disagreeable,  and  the  buildings  generally 
poor  and  low,  though  some  of  the  churches,  or  mosques^ 
are  very  elegant. 

12.  Greece  was  the  first  part  of  Turkey  in  Europe 
to  become  free.  It  is  nearly  surrounded  by  the  great 
Mediterranean  Sea,  and  the  Greeks  are  very  fond  of  sea- 
life.     They  build  many  ships,  and  are  excellent  sailors. 

13.  When  the  rest  of  Europe  was  peopled  only  by 
shepherds,  or  by  tribes  of  half-wild  men,  Greece  was 
the  home  of  scholars  and  artists,  —  men  who  studied  to 
become  wise,  and  who  produced  works  of  art  exhibiting 
such  taste  and  skill,  that  they  have  ever  since  called 
forth  the  wonder  and  admiration  of  the  most  cultivated 
people  of  all  nations.  The  country  is  full  of  the  ruins 
of  cities,  which  in  ancient  times  were  among  the  most 
beautiful  in  the  world.  Athens  was  one  of  the  most 
famous  cities  of  the  olden  time. 


158  GEOGRAPHICAL   HEADER. 


XII. -RUSSIA. 
Eus'-si-a  {Rush-I.         |       Gas'-pi-an.  I       Pe'-ters-turg:. 

1.  We  have  noticed  very  many  countries  in  Europe ; 
but  all  these  together  form  only  about  one  half  of  the 
continent.  The  other  half  is  one  great  country  named 
Russia.  On  the  southern  border  is  the  Blach  Sea^  and 
on  the  south-east  another  immense  body  of  water  named 
the  Caspian  Sea, 

2.  If  we  were  to  travel  across  Russia  from  north  ta 
south,  we  should  find  first  a  frozen  country,  with  plants^ 
animals,  and  people  much  like  those  in  the  coldest  part 
of  North  America.  South  of  this  cold,  dreary  region 
is  an  immense  forest,  inhabited  by  bears,  wolves,  deer, 
and  innumerable  other  animals,  from  many  of  which  fine 
furs  are  obtained.  In  all  this  vast  region  not  a  single 
city,  not  a  village,  and  hardly  a  farm,  can  be  seen. 
Farther  south,  in  the  middle  part  of  Russia,  are  smallei 
forests  here  and  there,  with  cultivated  lands,  villages, 
and  rich  cities,  as  in  other  countries. 

3.  Railroads  are  not  common  all  over  Russia,  as  in 
the  United  States  and  England  and  France.  For  this 
reason,  travelling  by  land  is  not  so  easy  everywhere. 
In  winter  the  travellers  wrap  themselves  in  warm  fui 
cloaks  and  robes,  and,  with  fine  horses  and  large  sleighs, 
glide  swiftly  and  pleasantly  over  the  sparkling  snow. 
But  the  forests  are  dangerous  on  account  of  the  wolves, 
great  troops  of  them  sometimes  following  the  sleigh  for 
miles. 

4.  In  the  western  part  of  Russia,  near  the  sea,  with  the 


BUSSIA, 


159 


great  forest-country  at  the  east  of  it,  is  St.  Petersburg^ 
the  capital.  Here  it  is  hot  in  summer ;  but  the  summers 
are  short,  and  the  winters  are  long  and  very  cold.  The 
ground  is  covered  with  deep  snow ;  the  river  beside  the 
city  is  frozen;  and  the  adjacent  sea  is  filled  with  ice. 
The  people,  wrapped  in  furs  so  that  you  can  hardly  see 


The  Winter  Palace,  St.  Petersburg. 

their  faces,  amuse  themselves  in  sleighing,  and  in  sliding 
down  hill.  As  the  land  about  the  city  is  flat,  "  ice-hills  " 
are  built  on  purpose  for  this  sport. 

5.  There  is  hardly  another  city  in  Europe  so  full  of 
palaces  and  other  fine  buildings  as  St.  Petersburg.  The 
emperor's  residence,  called  the  "  Winter  Palace,"  is  one 
of  the  largest  and  grandest  in  the  world.  Near  it  is  a 
fine  statue  of  Peter  the  Great  on  horseback. 


AFRICA. 


I.  — SAHARA  AND  THE  BARBARY  STATES. 

Sa-ha'-ra  [-hah'-],       1     o'-a-sis.  I     Ar'-abs. 

car'-a-van  [care'-].      |     At'-las.  |     Ear'-ba-ry. 

1.  In  the  northern  part  of  Africa,  is  an  immense  dry, 
barren  plain,  almost  as  large  as  our  whole  country. 
As  far  as  the  eye  can  reach,  there  is  only  a  bare,  sandy 
surface,  with  occasional  hills  and  mountains  of  naked 
rock.  Hardly  ever  a  drop  of  rain  falls,  or  a  cloud  is 
seen  in  the  sky,  and  never  a  cool  breeze  fans  your 
cheek ;  but  all  the  year  round  it  is  the  same  dry, 
desolate  land.  Such  a  dry,  barren  country  is  called  a 
desert. 

2.  This  is  the  Great  Desert,  or  Sahara,  Here  and 
there,  as  you  travel  over  it,  you  may  find  a  little  spring 
bubbling  up  from  the  earth,  and  sending  a  small  stream 
of  water  for  a  short  distance,  until  it  is  lost  in  the 
sand.  In  other  places,  Avells  have  been  dug  from  which 
the  ground  can  be  watered.  Around  the  springs  and 
wells,  the  earth  is  no  longer  naked,  and  scorching  to 
the  feet,  but  is  covered  with  a  rich,  cool  carpet  of  fresh 
grass,  and  shaded  by  groves  of  date- trees.  Such  a 
fertile  spot,  like  a  green  island  in  the  sea  of  sand,  is 
called  an  oasis.  There  are  many  oases  in  some  parts 
of  the  desert. 

160 


SAHARA  AND    THE  BARBABY  STATES, 


161 


3.  On  the  larger  oases  are  wandering  Arabs,  with 
flocks  of  sheep  and  goats,  and  many  camels  and  horses. 
When  the  flocks  have  eaten  all  the  grass  upon  one  oasis, 
the  Arabs  go  with  them  to  another,  and  then  another ; 
and  thus  they  wander  from  place  to  place  all  the  year 
round.     Because  they  must  thus  keep  moving  about  all 


;;^.^<^||W^^^| 


<^5S^  ^ 


A  Caravan  overtaken  by  a  Sand-storm. 

the  time,  these  Arabs  do  not  build  houses,  but  live 
in  tents,  which  can  be  taken  up,  and  carried  with 
them  wherever  they  go.  They  are  called  nomads,  or 
wanderers. 

4.  Arab  merchants,  in  great  companies  called  cara- 
vans, constantly  travel  across  the  desert,  conveying  goods 
from  the  countries  on  one  side  to  those  on  the  other. 


162  GEOGRAPHICAL  READER. 


These  are  packed  in  large  bundles,  and  fastened  upon 
the  backs  of  camels.  The  food  and  water  for  the  whole 
company  are  also  carried  by  camels. 

5.  The  desert  chiefs,  who  take  care  of  and  guide  the 
caravan,  are  mounted  on  beautiful,  swift  horses.  Their 
saddles  and  bridles  are  trimmed  with  crimson  velvet, 
and  gold  and  silver  fringes,  and  buttons.  They  wear 
long  silk  robes  of  bright  colors,  and  rich  turbans ;  and 
with  swords  by  their  sides,  or  spears  in  their  hands, 
they  present  a  very  striking  appearance. 

G.  The  caravans  travel  during  the  day,  and  at  night 
encamp,  if  possible,  on  some  oasis ;  but  they  sometimes 
go  on  for  days  without  finding  any.  Then  it  occasionally 
happens  that  the  water  brought  with  them  gives  out, 
and  they  suffer  greatly.  The  camels  can  go  several 
days  without  water:  but  the  horses  and  men  cannot; 
and,  if  they  do  not  soon  reach  a  spring  or  well,  they 
die  of  thirst. 

7.  Besides,  fierce  winds  often  sweep  over  the  desert, 
filling  the  air  with  thick  clouds  of  sand.  Some  of 
these  sand-storms  are  so  dreadful  as  nearly  to  destroy 
the  caravans.  You  would  think  no  one  would  wish  to 
go  into  such  dangers ;  but  the  Arabs  love  the  wild  life 
of  the  desert. 

8.  The  Sahara,  though  so  great,  is  not  the  whole  of 
Africa,  nor  even  half  of  it.  There  are  fertile  lands  both 
north  and  south  of  it.  Near  the  north  coast  of  Africa, 
opposite  Italy  and  Spain,  is  a  mountain-land,  with  fine 
valleys,  streams,  and  lakes.  The  mountains,  called  the 
Atlas^  are  covered  with  forests.  In  the  valleys  are  vil- 
lages and  cities  surrounded  by  wheat-fields  and  orange- 
groves,  vineyards  and  mulberry-trees. 


EGYPT  AND    TUE  NEGllO-LAND. 


163 


9.  Along  the  coast  also  are  cities,  with  ships  in  their 
harbors  from  many  countries.  This  region  seems  quite 
like  Europe;  for  not  only  are  the  plants  similar,  but 
besides  the  Arabs  and  Berbers^  to  whom  the  country 
belongs,  there  are  many  English,  French,  and  other 
European  people  here.  This  part  of  Africa  is  called 
Barbary^  or  tlie  country  of  the  Berbers, 


11. -EGYPT    AND   THE    NEGRO-LAND. 
E'-gypt  [-jipt].  I      E-gyp'-tian  [shun],     \      Sou-dan'  [SoO']. 

1.  East  of  the  Barbary  States,  in  the  corner  of  Africa, 
is  Egypt,  of  which  no  doubt  you  have  all  heard.  It  is 
the  country  to  which  Joseph  was  taken  when  his  brothers 


A  Scene  on  the  River  Nile. 


sold  him.  Through  it  flows  a  great  river  named  the 
Nile,  which  is  one  of  the  longest  in  the  world.  It 
was  in  the  grass  and  rushes  beside  this  river  that  Moses 


164  GEOGBAPIIICAL  EEADEE, 


was  hidden  by  his  mother,  in  a  little  cradle  made  so 
that  it  could  float  on  the  water. 

2.  Egypt  is  a  strange  country,  only  a  narrow  strip  of 
fertile  land  along  the  river,  with  a  desert  on  each  side 
of  it.  It  hardly  ever  has  rain ;  yet  it  is  a  very  fruitful 
country,  and  has  always  been  famous  for  the  wheat, 
rice,  and  other  things,  that  grow  there.  You  remember 
how  we  read  in  the  Bible,  that  once,  when  there  was 
a  famine  for  seven  years,  Jacob  sent  his  sons  to  Egypt 
to  buy  corn.  How  do  you  suppose  this  can  be,  when 
there  is  no  rain?     I  will  tell  you. 

3.  Every  year,  in  June,  the  Nile  rises,  and  overflows 
its  banks ;  and  all  the  land  around  it  is  covered  with 
water  for  several  months.  If  you  should  visit  Eg3^pt 
at  this  time,  you  would  see  only  what  appears  to  be  a 
great  lake,  with  a  boundless  desert  on  each  side,  and 
with  islands  here  and  there,  each  having  a  village  or 
city  upon  it. 

4.  In  October  the  flood  goes  down,  and  leaves  the 
ground  wet,  and  covered  with  a  thin  coat  of  rich  soil 
that  has  settled  from  the  water.  Just  as  soon  as  they 
can  see  the  earth  again,  the  Egyptian  farmers,  who  do 
not  need  to  plough  the  fields,  sow  the  seed  upon  this 
damp  new  soil;  and,  as  the  country  is  very  warm,  it 
sprouts,  and  grows  quickly.  Where  the  lake  was,  may 
now  be  seen  a  broad  green  plain,  with  the  river  slowly 
gliding  through  it,  and  the  villages  and  cities  scattered 
here  and  there  on  little  hills  or  mounds. 

5.  Frequent  canals,  leading  from  the  river  across  the 
plain,  are  filled  by  the  overflow  Avith  water  from  the 
Nile ;  and,  when  the  fields  begin  to  get  dry,  they  are 
watered  from   these,   until  the  plants  are  grown  and 


EGYPT  AND   THE  NEGBO-LAND.  165 


ready  to  be  gathered.     Thus,  you  see,  it  is  only  the  Nile 
that  keeps  Egypt  from  being  a  desert. 

6.  South  of  the  Sahara  is  the  part  of  Africa  in  which 
the  negroes  live.  There  are  lakes,  almost  as  large  as 
those  of   our  country,  with  great  rivers  flowing  from 


them,  through  fertile  regions  to  the  sea.  On  the  bor- 
ders of  some  are  wide  marshes,  covered  with  reeds  and 
cane,  in  which  multitudes  of  animals  hide  to  sleep,  or 
to  watch  for  their  prey. 

7.  In  other  places,  the  whole  broad  country,  for  hun- 
dreds of  miles,  is  one  great  forest.   The  trees  are  always 


166  GEOGBAPHICAL   BEABER. 


green, — growing,  blooming,  and  bearing  their  fruits,  at 
all  times  in  the  year.  Here,  too,  are  the  great  elephant, 
the  terrible  lion,  the  tall  giraffe,  besides  hundreds  of 
other  animals;  for  in  Africa  are  gathered,  in  greater 
numbers  than  in  any  other  continent,  the  largest, 
strongest,  and  most  beautiful  animals  in  the  world. 

8.  The  part  next  south  of  the  Sahara  is  called  Soudan. 
It  is  a  middle  region,  between  the  barren  lands  of  the 
desert,  and  the  vast  forests  of  Central  Africa ;  and  the 
country  consists  of  rich,  treeless  plains  alternating  with 
woodlands.  Here  are  found  the  finest  looking  and  most 
intelligent  of  the  negro  tribes. 

9.  The  negroes  of  Soudan  raise  grain,  cotton,  and 
other  things.  They  know  how  to  make  cloth  from  the 
cotton,  and  to  make,  from  iron  and  copper,  such  tools 
as  they  need.  They  live  together  in  towns  and  villages, 
which  are  mere  collections  of  huts,  looking  entirely  un- 
like any  thing  we  ever  saw. 

10.  In  the  extreme  south  the  coast  lands  belong  to 
England.  The  interior  is  the  native  home  of  many  of 
our  finest  flowering  plants,  like  the  geraniums  and  bril- 
liant lilies.  A  few  years  ago  diamonds  were  discovered 
there,  and  one  of  the  largest  diamonds  ever  seen  has 
just  been  found  in  South  Africa. 


ASIA. 


I.—^W^ESTBRN  ASIA. 

Per'-si-a  [shi-].  I  Is-pa-han'.  I  Pal'-es-tine. 

Ar'-a-rat.  I  Eu-phra'-tes  [-fra'-teez].  \  pome'-gran-ate  [piim'-j, 

1.  East  of  Europe  and  Africa,  is  Asia,  the  largest  of 
all  the  continents.  It  contains  several  great  and  very 
interesting  countries.  In  the  portion  nearest  to  Europe 
and  Africa,  which  is  quite  different  from  the  rest  of  the 
continent,  are  Turkey^  Arabia^  and  Persia, 

2.  Turkey  in  Asia  and  Turkey  in  Europe  form  one 
country,  called  the  Turkish  Empire,  This  is  one  of  the 
most  interesting  regions  in  the  whole  world.  In  the 
north-eastern  corner  is  a  little  mountain-land  called 
Armenia^  where,  some  people  think,  the  Garden  of  Eden 
was.  On  the  border  of  Armenia  is  Ararat^  believed  by 
many  to  be  the  mountain  on  which  the  ark  rested  iafter 
the  flood. 

3.  From  Armenia  flow  two  large  rivers, — the  Euphror 
tes  and  the  Tigris^  on  the  banks  of  which  stood  the 
celebrated  cities,  Babylon  and  Nineveh,  According  to 
the  old  writers,  they  were  more  magnificent  than  any 
cities  now  in  existence ;  but,  strong  and  great  as  they 
were,  they  have  perished,  and  only  heaps  of  ruins  re- 
main to  mark  the  places  where  they  stood. 

4.  At  the  east  end  of  the  Mediterranean,  is  Palestine, 

167 


168  GEOGRAPHICAL   READER, 


the  country  of  the  Jews.  Here  was  Jerusalem^  in  which 
Solomon  built  the  magnificent  temple ;  and  Bethlehem, 
where  Jesus  was  born.  Through  a  deep  valley  east  of 
Jerusalem  flows  the  River  Jordan,  in  which  he  was  bap- 
tized.    In  this  country  he  lived,  and  did  all  the  wonder- 


Entrance  to  Bethlehenn. 

ful  works  recorded  of  him.     It  is  these  things  which 
make  this  land  interesting  to  us. 

5.  The  western  part  of  Turkey  is  mountainous,  but 
was  once  very  fruitful.  On  its  mountains  were  forests 
of  cedars;  and  its  valleys  and  hillsides  were  covered 
with  vineyards  and  olive-groves,  pomegranates  and  fig- 
trees,  mingled  with  grain-fields  and  rich  pastures.    Now 


WESTEBN  ASIA. 


169 


most  of  it  is  quite  barren  and  dreary;  and  in  some 
places  are  still  found  the  ruins  of  splendid  cities  which 
once  adorned  it. 

6.  Arabia  lies  beside  Northern  Africa,  and  is  in  many 
respects  very  different  from  Turkey.  Some  parts  of  it 
are   hot   and  dry,  like  the    Sahara,  —  a  dreary  desert- 


An  Arab  Encampmeirt. 

land,  dotted  with  green  oases  of  date-palms.  Elsewhere 
there  are  forests  of  trees  yielding  rich  gums  and  odors ; 
and  in  the  south,  growing  upon  the  hillsides,  are  groves 
of  the  coffee-tree,  from  which  the  best  coffee  in  the 
woild  is  obtained. 

7.  This  is  the  country  from  which  the  Arabs  went  to 
Africa ;  and  in  the  dry  regions  here  they  lead  the  same 
sort  of  bold,  free  life,  with  their  herds,  their  camels, 
and  their  swift  horses.    The  horses  of  Arabia  are  famous 


170  GEOGEAPHICAL   READER. 


all  over  the  world  for  their  beauty  of  form  and  their 
fleetness;  and  the  Arab  loves  his  horse  as  well  as  he 
does  his  wife  and  children. 

8.  Persia  is  also  a  dry  country,  and  the  southern 
part  is  very  warm.  In  some  places  you  may  travel 
many  miles  without  seeing  a  single  tree,  hardly  a  patch 
of  grass ;  then  suddenly  you  come  in  sight  of  groves 
of  trees,  pleasant  green  fields,  and  gardens  filled  with 
fragrant  flowers,  in  the  midst  of  which  is  a  city.  Ispa- 
han is  such  a  place.  These  trees  have  all  been  planted 
by  the  people  in  order  that  they  may  have  wood  for 
burning,  and  for  use  in  building. 

9.  Some  of  these  cities  have  rivers  flowing  through 
them ;  but  others  are  built  beside  canals,  which  bring 
water  from  some  distant  lake  or  river.  In  this  case 
it  sometimes  happens  that  enemies  destroy  the  canal; 
and  then,  as  there  is  no  water,  the  people  are  obliged  to 
remove  to  some  other  place.  The  trees  die,  the  gardens 
become  a  desert,  and  the  forsaken  city  goes  to  ruin. 
There  are  many  such  ruined  cities  in  Persia. 

10.  In  the  mountains  which  form  the  borders  of  Persia 
are  streams  and  lakes,  and  fertile  valleys  which  are  the 
native  home  of  many  of  our  finest  fruits.  Here  are 
great  fields  of  roses,  that  fill  the  air  with  their  fragrance, 
and  whole  gardens  of  tulips  and  many  other  lovely 
flowers,  carpeting  the  hillsides  with  brilliant  colors. 

11.  Groves  of  peach-trees  are  laden  with  delicious 
fruit ;  and  sweet,  juicy  melons  and  cucumbers  cover  the 
earth.  Here,  too,  strong  vines  climb  from  tree  to  tree, 
bearing  rich  grapes,  in  clusters  much  larger  and  heavier 
than  any  you  have  ever  seen;  and  luscious  cherries, 
apricots,  and  many  other  fruits,  grow  without  care. 


THE  INDIES. 


IV 1 


IL-THE  INDIES. 


In'-di-a. 


Gan'-ges  [-jeez]. 


I 


Gal-cut'-ta. 


1.  East  of  Arabia,  in  the  southern  part  of  Asia,  are 
two  great  peninsulas ;  and  a  little  farther  south,  in  the 
ocean,  is  a  cluster  of  the  largest  islands  in  the  world. 
These  peninsulas  and  islands  together  are  usually  called 
THE  Indies,  though  each  of  them  has  its  own  separate 
name. 

2.  These  are  all  hot  countries,  with  plenty  of  rain, 
and  are  remarkable  for  the  abundance  and  variety  of 
both  vegetable  and  ani- 
mal productions,  as 
well  as  for  mineral 
wealth.  The  forests  are 
as  dense  and  varied  as 
those  of  the  Selvas,  and 
the  wild  animals  as 
large  and  as  fierce  as 
any  in  Africa.  Rep- 
tiles and  insects  also 
throng  the  streams  and  the  forests,  and  greatly  trouble 
the  people  by  their  poisonous  bites  and  stings. 

3.  But  what  makes  the  Indies  most  interesting  to  us 
is  the  great  number  of  spices  and  other  precious  things 
they  produce.  This  is  the  country  of  the  pepper,  the 
clove,  the  cinnamon,  the  nutmeg.  Almost  all  the  kinds 
of  spices  now  raised  in  different  parts  of  the  world  may 
be  found  in  the  forests  of  these  peninsulas  or  islands. 
In  some  places  the  surrounding  air  is  filled  with  their 


An    Elephant. 


172  GEOGRAPHICAL   READER. 


pleasant  odor.  There  are  many  rare  kinds  of  wood,  rich 
fruits,  and  valuable  medicines ;  and  from  the  Island  of 
Java  large  quantities  of  excellent  coffee  are  obtained. 

4.  Brilliant  diamonds,  rubies  of  the  finest  color,  em- 
eralds, and  all  those  stones  which  are  most  valued,  and 
used  to  ornament  the  crowns  of  kings  and  emperors,  are 
found  here.  For  thousands  of  years  other  countries  all 
over  Asia  and  Europe  have  known  of  the  wealth  of  tho 
Indies,  and  have  sought  to  obtain  these  precious  things. 
Many  voyages  from  countries  in  Western  Europe,  in 
the  time  of  Columbus,  were  undertaken  in  the  hope 
of  finding  a  shorter  way  to  this  wonderful  land. 

5.  The  greater  and  more  western  of  the  two  penin- 
sulas belongs  to  the  government  of  Great  Britain,  and  is 
therefore  called  British  India.  This  is  the  most  inter- 
esting of  all  these  countries.  In  the  northern  part  of 
this  peninsula  a  large  river,  called  the  Ganges.,  flows 
through  a  rich  plain  eastward  to  the  sea. 

6.  While  many  of  the  inhabitants  of  Europe  were 
scarcely  more  learned  or  skilful  than  are  the  negroes  of 
Soudan,  there  were  on  this  plain  great  cities  and  splendid 
temples,  books,  and  learned  men.  Before  any  of  the  great 
cities  now  in  Europe  had  been  built,  the  people  here 
knew  how  to  make  the  finest  muslins,  lovely  shawls, 
and  many  beautiful  things  from  wood,  ivory,  pearl,  and 
gold.  These  were  sought  for  by  other  nations  as  much 
as  were  the  spices  and  precious  stones  of  the  Indies. 

7.  This  plain  is  still  covered  with  great  cities,  some  of 
them  very  old.  There  are  in  many  of  them  thousands 
of  English  soldiers  and  merchants,  besides  all  the  native 
people.  Calcutta^  the  capital  of  British  India,  is  in  the 
low,  marshy  lands,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Ganges. 


CHINA  AND  JAPAN  173 


III. -CHINA   AND  JAPAN. 

Chi'-na.  I  Jap-an'.  |  To-ki-o'. 

Can-ton'.  j  Pe-king'.  \  Yed'-do. 

1.  China  is  in  the  far  eastern  part  of  Asia,  bordering 
upon  the  Pacific  Ocean.  The  Japan  Islands  are  in  the 
ocean,  opposite  the  northern  part  of  China.  In  some 
things  these  countries  are  much  like  our  own,  having 
plenty  of  rain,  and  being  neither  very  warm,  nor  too 
cold  for  most  of  th-e  useful  plants  to  grow.  But  in 
other  things  they  are  very  different,  as  you  will  see ; 
and  they  are  among  the  most  interesting  countries  of 
Asia. 

2.  China  has  in  the  west  high  mountains,  whose  tops 
are  covered  with  snow  most  of  the  year.     In  the  east 

at     the     east.  ^  ^'''"®'®  ^""•'• 

Japan  is  a  mountain-land,  with  wide  and  fertile  valleys, 

and  small  plains  near  the  sea. 


174  GEOGRAPHICAL  BEADEB. 


3.  The  Chinese  are  a  very  singular  people.  They 
used  always  to  stay  in  their  own  country,  instead  of 
travelling  about  all  over  the  world  to  see  and  learn,  as 
other  people  do;  and  they  did  not  want  people  from 
other  countries  to  come  and  live  with  them. 

4.  They  did  not,  for  this  reason,  learn  from  other 
nations,  and  make  changes  and  improvements  in  their 
way  of  doing  things,  as  others  do ;  but  for  thousands  of 
years  they  continued  to  dress,  and  build  their  ships  and 
houses,  and  work,  and  amuse  themselves,  just  as  did 
their  ancestors  ages  and  ages  before. 

5.  They  were  the  first  people  to  find  out  how  to  print 
books,  and  how  to  make  many  useful  things ;  but,  while 
all  the  other  nations  of  the  world  have  gone  on  learn- 
ing, they  have  not  improved,  and  therefore  are  much 
behind  them.  Now  they  are  finding  out  that  they  are 
not  the  wisest  people  in  the  world,  and  have  begun  to 
change  their  ways. 

6.  In  no  other  country  of  the  same  size  will  you  find 
so  many  people  living  as  in  China.  Every  foot  of  land 
is  turned  to  account.  Even  hills  and  mountain-sides, 
which  are  so  steep  that  the  earth  would  all  be  washed 
away  by  the  rain,  have  little  walls  of  stone  built  across 
them  to  hold  the  soil,  so  that  they  look  like  a  very 
broad  flight  of  stairs. 

7.  These  steps,  or  terraces,  are  carefully  cultivated,  and 
made  to  produce  the  useful  crops  of  the  country.  They 
are  watered  by  hand,  and  thus  much  work  is  needed  to 
raise  plants  in  some  parts  of  China.  Even  on  the  rivers 
are  floating  gardens,  made  by  putting  earth  on  rafts,  or 
floors  of  timber.  On  these  are  little  houses,  in  which 
the  people  live,  and  float  about  from  place   to   place, 


CHINA  AND  JAPAN, 


175 


taking,  when  they  travel,  their  house  and  garden  with 
them. 

8.  Nearly  the  same  things  grow  in  both  China  and 
Japan.  The  chief  productions  are 
rice,  cotton,  wheat,  the  mulberry, 
and,  most  important  of  all,  the  tea- 
plant.  Nearly  all  the  tea  which  is 
used  in  all  parts  of  the  world  is 
raised  in  these  two  countries. 


0.  For  ages  the  Chinese  have  fed 


Tea- plant. 


the    silk-worm,    and    manufactured 

silk;  and  have  also  made  porcelain 

cups  and  saucers,  and  other  things 

for  the  table,  as  well  as  vases  and 

ornaments    of   many    kinds.     These 

are  called  "  China-ware  ;  "  because, 

for  a  very  long  time,  the  people  of  China  alone  knew 

how  to  make  them.     Thus  you  see  that  they  must  be 

very  industrious ;    for   they  make    all   these   beautiful 

things  with  their  own  hands,  and  not  by  machinery,  as 

they  are  made  in  our  country  and  in  Europe. 

10.  Both  the  Chinese  and  Japanese  are  yellowish- 
brown  people;  but  they  are  much  more  learned,  and 
live  in  a  far  better  manner,  than  any  of  the  other  nations 
of  their  color.  The  Japanese  resemble  the  Chinese  in 
their  ways  of  thinking  and  living,  as  well  as  in  looks. 
Like  them,  too,  after  standing  still  for  ages,  they  have 
begun  to  learn  of  other  nations,  and  to  advance. 

11.  Both  these  countries  have  many  great,  old,  and 
interesting  cities.  Peking^  in  China,  has  a  high,  strong 
wall  around  it,  with  gates  that  are  always  guarded 
during  the  day,  and  kept  shut  and  barred  at  night,  so 


176  GEOGBAPHICAL  BEABEB. 


that  no  enemy  can  come  in.  It  has  also  large  beautiful 
gardens,  with  hills,  lakes,  and  groves,  besides  palaces 
for  the  Emperor  and  his  relations. 

12.  Canton  was  for  many  years  the  only  city  of  China 
which  the  Emperor  would  allow  ships  from  other  coun- 
tries to  visit.  The  Emperor  of  Japan  and  his  ministers 
live  in  Tohio^  which  used  to  be  called  Yeddo. 


IV. -MIDDLE  ASIA  AND  SIBERIA. 

Him-a-la'-ya.  |        Cash'-mere.  |        Thib'-et  [tih'-et\. 

1.  North  of  India,  is  a  great  wall  of  mountains, 
called  the  Himalaya^  '•'•the  home  of  the  snows,^'  They 
are  the  highest  mountains  in  the  whole  world,  and  the 
most  steep  and  wild.  It  is  almost  impossible  to  cross 
them  at  any  place,  because  they  are  so  very  steep;  and, 
besides,  there  are  terrible  storms,  which  cover  the  way 
with  snow,  so  that  a  traveller  would  not  know  where  to 
find  a  safe  path. 

2.  The  rivers  here  flow  very  swiftly,  and  fill  the  air 
with  mists  and  dampness  ;  and  the  valleys  are  only 
gorges,  often  so  deep  and  narrow,  that  the  sun  never 
shines  at  the  bottom  of  them.  Away  up  in  this  great 
home  of  the  snows,  you  will  not  see  a  single  animal,  nor 
hear  any  living  thing ;  and  all  is  so  wild  and  solemn, 
that  even  the  sound  of  your  own  steps  will  make  you 
tremble. 

3.  On  the  middle  slopes  of  the  mountains,  are  many 
plants  and  animals  like  those  on  the  Alps.  Above  the 
forests  the  mountain-sides  are  covered  with  bright- 
colored  Alpine  flowers  ;    and  many  interesting  plants 


MIDDLE  ASIA  AND   SIBEUIA. 


177 


and  animals  are  natives  of  these  heights.     This  is  the. 
liome  of  the  beautiful  horse-chestnut  tree  which  we  plant 
in  our  streets  and  gardens.    In  one  of  the  valleys,  called 
the    Vale   of   Cashmere^  the  cashmere  goat  lives,  from 
whose   wool   the    elegant 
shawls  of  India  are  made. 

4.  South  of  this  range 
is  British  India,  with  its 
spice-forests,  its  great  ani- 
mals, and  continual  sum- 
mer. Beyond  it,  to  the 
north,  is  a  vast  mountain- 
land,  so  elevated  that 
even  the  bottoms  of  the 
valleys  are  nearly  as  high 
as  the  top  of  the  Alps; 
while  the  peaks  rising  far 
above  them  are  almost  as 
high  as  the  Himalaya. 

5.  This  mountain-land 
is  Thibet.  We  might  call 
it  the  Switzerland  of  Asia ; 
for  it  is  the  highest  and 
most  mountainous  coun- 
try of  this  continent,  and, 
indeed,  of  all  the  world. 
Some    of   the   lower   val- 


In  the  Himalaya  Mountains. 


leys  contain  streams  and  lakes  bordered  with  cities  and 
villages,  grain-fields,  orchards,  and  vineyards. 

6.  In  summer  the  mountain-pastures  are  full  of  flocks 
of  sheep  and  goats,  famous  for  their  fine  silky  wool, 
from  which  handsome  cloth  and  shawls  are  made.      In 


178 


GEOGBAPHICAL   JIEADEB. 


winter  the  whole  country  is  very  cold,  —  so  cold  that 
travellers  are  often  frozen  to  death  on  their  journeys. 
It  is  only  in  the  most  sheltered  valleys  that  people  can 
live  in  winter,  and  even  these  are  very  dreary. 

7.  Beyond  the  snowy  mountains,  on  the  northern  bor- 
der of  Thibet,  is  a  broad,  barren  table-land.  In  the 
western  part,  where  it  is  lowest,  are  some  streams  and 
lakes ;  and  here  are  villages  and  cities,  green  pastures, 
and  cultivated  fields.     Elsewhere  there  is  only  the  gray 


A  Scene  in  Mongolia. 


sand,  hardly  covered  with  the  low  gray  plants,  which 
alone  can  grow  on  these  barren  lands. 

8.  This  is  Mongolia,  At  times  one  may  see  this  almost 
desert  country  covered  with  great  herds  of  horses,  oxen, 
goats,  sheep,  and  camels.  Low  tents  are  grouped  in 
the  midst  of  them ;  and  men  on  swift  horses  ride  about, 
watching  the  herds,  and  at  night  gathering  them  all 
together  close  to  the  tents.  But  in  a  day  or  two  all 
are  gone ;  and  only  the  naked,  dreary  land  is  left,  with 
not  a  plant,  nor  a  living  animal,  to  be  seen. 


MIDDLE  ASIA   AND   SIBERIA, 


1T9 


9.  The  Mongols  wander  over  the  table-land,  wherever 
they  can  find  food  for  the  herds,  frequently  remaining 
only  a  few  days  in  the  same  place.  They  are  a  very  war- 
like people ;  and  often  great  companies  of  them  come 
suddenly  upon  some  of  the  villages  in  the  better  part  of 
the  table-land,  rob  and  kill  the  people,  burn  the  houses, 
and  dash  away  again,  before  any  one  can  punish  them. 

10.  Farther  north,  a  great  country,  called  Siberia^ 
which  belongs  to  Russia,  extends  entirely  across  Asia, 
from  east  to  west.  This,  like  the  northern  part  of 
Russia,  contains  a  forest  country,  at  the  north  of  which 
are  great  plains,  without  trees,  and  covered  with  snow 
and  ice  nearly  all  the  year.  In  the  south  there  are  rich 
gold-mines,  and  valleys  and  plains,  where  there  might  be 
fine  farms  if  there  were  people  to  cultivate  them.  But 
most  of  the  Russians  living  in  Siberia  work  the  mines, 
and  the  natives  of  the  country  wander  from  place  to 
place  with  herds  of  reindeer. 

11.  Journeys  arc  made  across  this  country,  from 
Peking  in  China  to  St.  Petersburg  in  Russia ;  and 
tea,  silk,  furs,  and  many  other  things,  are  carried  this 
immense  distance.  A  large  part  of  the  Russians  in 
Siberia  are  exiles,  who  were  sent  there  by  the  govern- 
ment for  some  offence  committed  in  their  own  country. 


THE   INDIAN  OCEAN,   AND 
AUSTRALIA. 


Aus-tra'-li-a.         J         Mur'-ray.  |         kan-ga-roo'  [kang-], 

1.  The  Indian  Ocean  is  south  of  Asia,  and  must  be 
crossed  in  going  from  Asia  or  from  Africa  to  Australia. 
Terrible  hurricanes  often  occur  on  this  ocean.  One 
may  be  sailing  in  the  morning  with  a  pleasant  breeze 
and  clear  sky,  when  suddenly  he  sees  a  small  black 
cloud  on  the  horizon.  Soon  it  spreads,  until  it  covers 
the  whole  heaven,  the  thunder  begins  to  roll,  and  the 
lightning  flashes  at  every  moment. 

2.  A  terrific  wind  strikes  the  ship,  the  rain  falls  in 
torrents,  and  great  waves  rise  like  mountains  of  water. 
They  dash  themselves  on  the  shore  with  a  terrible  roar- 
ing, covering  it  with  the  broken  timbers  of  wrecked 
ships,  and  filling  the  air  with  white  foam. 

3.  In  parts  of  this  ocean,  there  is  a  kind  of  oyster 
within  whose  shell  are  found  the  beautiful  pearls  worn 
by  ladies  in  necklaces  and  other  ornaments.  These  can 
be  obtained  only  by  diving,  and  seeking  the  oyster  at  the 
bottom  of  the  sea,  a  very  difficult  and  dangerous  work. 

4.  Australia  is  the  smallest  of  the  continents,  being 
only  about  the  size  of  the  United  States.  It  is  south  of 
Asia,  and  a  long  way  from  it ;  but  the  great  islands  of 
the  Indies  make  a  sort  of  bridge  between  them.     Little 

180 


INDIAN   OCEAN,  AND  AUSTRALIA. 


181 


is  known  of  Australia,  excepting  the  south-eastern  parts. 
Here  are  low  mountains  in  which  large  quantities  of 
gold  are  found;  and  a  broad,  rich  plain,  with  a  fine 
river,  called  the  Murray^  flowing  through  it. 

6.  There  are  some  things  very  singular  about  Austra- 
lia. What  would  you 
think  of  seeing  ani- 
mals like  the  kangaroo, 
which,  instead  of  walk- 
ing squarely  on  four 
feet,  as  others  do,  goes 
hopping  about  on  the 
tail  and  the  two  long 
hind-legs?  And  what 
would  you  think  of 
seeing  a  forest  of  trees 
whose  tough  bark  splits 

and  falls  off  every  year.  Kangaroo  and  Lyre  Bird. 

instead  of  the  leaves?  and  of  others,  covered  with 
leaves,  yet  making  not  much  more  shadow  than  if  they 
had  none,  for  the  edge  of  the  leaf  is  toward  the  light  ? 
Yet  all  these  things  may  be  seen  in  Australia,  and 
many  others  no  less  strange. 

6.  When  white  people  first  went  to  this  continent,  they 
found  hardly  any  plants  which  they  could  use  for  food. 
But  seeds  have  been  taken  there  from  other  countries ; 
and  now  fields  of  wheat  and  corn  and  other  grains, 
with  orchards  of  peaches,  pears,  apples,  and  other  fruits, 
grow  in  many  parts.  People  are  also  beginning  to  plant 
cotton;  but  there  are  not  enough  farmers  to  plough 
and  plant  all  the  rich  plain,  and  therefore  much  of  it  is 
used  for  the  pasturage  of  sheep  and  cattle. 


THE  PACIFIC  OCEAN. 


1.  The  Pacific,  which  separates  Asia  and  Australia 
from  North  and  South  America,  is  the  largest  of  all  the 
oceans.  It  covers  nearly  half  of  the  surface  of  the 
globe  with  one  vast  expanse  of  water.  In  diflPerent 
parts  of  it  are  multitudes  of  islands  besides  the  great 
ones  near  the  continents.  Many  contain  high  moun- 
tains ;  and  some  were  built  up  by  volcanoes  throwing 
out  substances  from  within  the  earth. 

2.  But  there  are  islands  of  still  another  sort  in  the 
Pacific  Ocean.  You  may  be  sailing  through  the  warm 
part  of  it,  Avith  nothing  in  sight  but  the  broad  blue 
waters  and  the  sky,  when  presently  you  will  discover, 
rising  out  of  the  sea  before  you,  a  grove  of  tall  green 
palm-trees.  It  is  very  strange  to  see  them  there,  for 
they  appear  to  be  growing  directly  from  the  waves. 
But  when  you  are  nearer,  you  find  that  they  stand  on 
a  flat  island  just  high  enough  to  prevent  being  over- 
flowed. 

3.  Under  the  palms  the  ground  is  covered  with  plants 
of  the  richest  green,  and  between  them  and  the  waves 
is  a  broad  beach  of  sand  as  white  as  snow.  Presently 
you  see  that  what  seemed  to  be  only  a  long  narrow 
island  is  a  perfect  ring,  with  palm  trees  on  all  parts  of 
it,  and  within,  a  clear,  still  lake  of  the  blue  sea-water. 

182 


THE  PACIFIC  OCEAN, 


183 


Such  is  Whit' Sunday  Island.     The  Pacific  has  many  of 
these  flat  islands,  though  not  many  just  like  this. 

4.  The  ships  on  the  Pacific  are  nearly  all  from  the 
United  States  and  countries  of  Europe.  They  are 
going  to  China,  India,  Japan,  and  Australia,  or  return- 
ing with  tea,  coffee,  and  spices,  silk,  pearls,  and  gold.  The 
island  peoples 
of  the  Pacific 
have  small  odd- 
looking  ves- 
sels, in  which 
they  go  from 
place  to  place 
along  their 
own  coasts,  but 
do  not  venture 
far  out  into  the 
wide  sea.  If 
we  sail  across 
the  Pacific 
from  the  strange  shores  of  Asia  and  Australia,  we  can 
reach  our  own  country. 

5.  You  have  now  visited  all  the  most  important  coun- 
tries of  the  world.  You  have  seen  no  two  which  are 
quite  alike,  but  something  interesting  or  pleasant  has 
met  you  everywhere.  You  have  learned  just  enough 
of  the  great  earth  to  make  you  wish  to  know  more  ;  and 
you  will  find  a  few  important  things,  which  you  will  be 
glad  to  learn,  in  Part  Second. 


Whitsunday  Island. 


184  GEOGBAPHICAL   HEADER. 


THE  CHILD'S  ^W^ORLD. 

"Great,  wide,  beautiful,  wonderful  World, 
With  the  wonderful  water  round  you  curled, 
And  the  wonderful  grass  upon  your  breast,  — 
World,  you  are  beautifully  drest. 

"  The  w^onderful  air  is  over  me, 
And  the  wonderful  wind  is  shaking  the  tree : 
It  walks  on  the  water,  and  whirls  the  mills, 
And  talks  to  itself  on  the  top  of  the  hills. 

"  You,  friendly  Earth  !  how  far  do  you  go 
With  the  wheat-fields  that  nod  and  the  rivers  that  flow. 
With  cities  and  gardens,  and  cliffs  and  isles, 
And  people  upon  you  for  thousands  of  miles  ? 

"  Ah,  you  are  so  great,  and  I  am  so  small, 
I  tremble  to  think  of  you.  World,  at  all ; 
And  yet,  when  I  said  my  prayers  to-day, 
A  whisper  inside  me  seemed  to  say,  — 

'  You  are  more  than  the  Earth,  though  you  are  such  a  dot 
You  can  love  and  think,  and  the  Earth  cannot.'  " 

^^ Lilliput  Lectures.^* 


Part  II. 
GEOGRAPHICAL   PRIMER. 


TO    THE    TEACHER. 


It  will  be  observed  that  each  lesson  in  Part  II.  consists  of  three 
distinct  divisions.  The  Introduction  serves  to  recall  previously- 
acquired  ideas  connected  with  the  topic  of  the  lesson,  and  to  awaken 
interest  in  what  follows.  It  should  be  carefully  read,  not  memorized ; 
and  the  teacher  should  call  attention  to  any  important  points. 

The  large  print  is  the  lesson  proper,  which  is  to  be  memo- 
rized and  recited  in  the  usual  way.  The  words  in  boldface  indi- 
cate the  leading  idea  of  each  paragraph.  In  the  reviews,  are  questions 
upon  the  lessons  which  the  teacher  can  use  in  recitation  if  desired. 

The  Exercise  is  not  a  part  of  the  lesson,  to  be  studied  before- 
hand, but  only  suggests  a  familiar  talk  between  teacher  and  pupils 
after  the  recitation,  such  as  all  primary  teachers  are  more  or  less 
accustomed  to.  The  pupils  are  questioned  to  test  their  general  com- 
prehension of  the  subject  treated.  The  geographical  names  used  in 
the  lesson  are  found  on  the  map,  so  that  the  succeeding  Map-Lesson 
is  made  easy;  and  items  of  information  are  given,  calculated  to 
interest  the  pupils  or  to  fix  in  mind  the  facts  of  the  lesson.  In 
short,  this  is  the  teacher's  opportunity  for  oral  instruction;  and  it 
may  be  extended  at  discretion,  especially  with  reference  to  local  or 
home  geography. 

The  Map-Lessons  are  to  be  recited  from  a  wall-map,  a  black- 
board-map, or  with  no  map  in  view,  according  to  the  judgment  of 
the  teacher.  The  Written  Exercises  and  Reviews  occurring  at 
frequent  intervals  add  variety,  and  will  be  found  of  great  value. 

By  means  of  the  Readings  in  Part  I.,  bearing  upon  the  subjects 
of  successive  lessons,  and  the  variety  of  work  presented  in  Part  II., 
a  constant  interest  will  be  maintained  in  classes,  and  the  happiest 
results  may  be  expected. 
186 


INTRODUCTION. 


I. -THE   EARTH. 
(Part  L,  Pages  1-3.) 

In  the  preceding  part  of  the  book,  you  have  been  reading, 
making  imaginary  journeys  all  over  the  world.  In  this  part, 
are  lessons  about  the  most  important  countries,  to  be  studied 
and  learned  by  heart.  This  is  a  different  kind  of  work ; 
but  you  will  find  it  just  as  pleasant,  for  you  wish  to  become 
wise,  and  every  lesson  will  help  you  a  little  in  gaining  a 
knowledge  of  the  great  world. 

The  eartli  is  the  world  on  which  we  live. 

The  shape  of  the  earth  is 
round,  like  an  orange. 

The  size  of  the  earth  is 
so  great  that  to  go  round 
it  one  must  travel  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  miles  a  day, 
for  one  hundred  days. 

The  surface  of  the  earth 
is  composed  of  land  and 
water. 

The  water  covers  nearly 
three  quarters  of  the  sur- 
face, and  is  divided  into 
oceans.  The  whole  water- 
surface  is  called  the  sea.  ^  ^'°^®' 

The  land  forms  about  one  quarter  of  the  surface.     It 

187 


188 


GEOGRAPHICAL   PRIMER. 


is  divided  into  large  masses,  called  continents,  and  small 
bodies,  called  islands. 

Exercise.  —  How  far  is  it  round  the  earth  ?  How  many- 
weeks  in  the  hundred  days  spent  in  going  round  it  ?  How  many 
months  ?  Do  you  see  more  land,  or  more  water,  on  the  earth  ? 
How  do  people  make  the  land  useful?  AAliat  use  is  made  of  the 
sea?  Would  you  think  there  would  be  more  sea  than  land? 
Why  do  you  think  so?  If  there  were  three  jDarts  of  land  to  one 
part  of  water,  the  land  would  be  much  less  pleasant  than  it  is. 
Some  time  you  will  understand  this.  The  picture  in  this  lesson 
shows  you  the  shape  of  the  earth.  The  two  dark,  rough-looking 
places  represent  continents  ;  the  rest,  oceans. 


II. -REPRESENTATIONS    OP    THE    EARTH. 

It  is  not  very  easy  to  learn  how  the  continents  and  oceans 
are  situated  on  the  earth,  nor  where  the  different  countries 
are,  unless  there  is  some  way  of  snowing  these  things  to  our 


Balloon  View  of  New  York  and  Vicinity. 


eyes.     For  this  reason  people  have  contrived  ways  of  repre* 
senting  the  earth,  to  help  in  learning  geography. 


REPRESENTATIONS   OF  THE  EARTH. 


189 


The  earth  is  represented  both  by  globes  and  maps. 
A  globe  is  a  ball  with  drawings  upon  it,  to  represent 
the  continents  and  oceans  as  they  appear  on  the  earth. 


NEW 


A  map  is  a  drawing  which  represents  any  part  of  the 
surface  of  the  earth. 

A  hemisplierc-map  represents  one-half  of  the  earth's 
surface. 

The  colors  on  the  large  maps  in  this  book  show  how 
the  land  is  divided  into  continents,  and  the  continents 
into  countries. 

Exercise. — Here  is  a  view  of  New  York  and  the  country 
around  it,  as  one  would  see  it  looking  down  from  a  balloon. 
There  are  the  two  great  cities,  the  smaller  cities  scattered  about, 
the  river,  the  bay,  the  ocean,  and  the  islands.  Next  comes  a 
map  of  the  same  country.  It  does  not  show  any  of  these  things 
as  they  look  in  nature,  but  has  only  lines  and  marks  to  stand  for 
them,  with  a  name  beside  each  to  show  what  it  represents.  Which 
is  prettiest  to  look  at,  —  the  balloon  view,  or  the  map  ?  What  can 
you  learn  from  the  map  which  the  view  does  not  show  ?  Read  the 
names  of  all  the  objects  represented  on  this  map.  Which  city  have 
you  read  about  ?  Which  river  ?  What  can  you  remember  about 
them  ?     Can  you  make  a  map  of  your  schoolroom  ?     Try  it. 


190 


GEOGRAPHICAL   PRIMER, 


III.— DIRECTION  ON  MAPS  AND  GLOBES. 

Map-makers  put  on  the  globe  and  on  maps,  two  sets  of 
lines  to  enable  us  to  see  the  direction  of  places  and  countries 
from  each  other,  as  well  as  their  location.  They  are  north- 
and-south  lines,  and  east-and-west  lines.  On  the  globe,  as 
the  picture  of  the  hemispheres  shows,  the  north-and-south 
lines  all  meet  in  two  points. 


NORTH  POLE 


The  Earth  In  Hemispheres. 

Directions  are  shown  on  maps  and  globes  by  two  sets 
of  lines  crossing  each  other. 

North-and-south  lines  cross  the  map  from  top  to  bot- 
tom, and  are  called  meridians. 

On  the  globe  the  meridians  all  meet  in  two  points, 
the  Nortli  Pole  and  the  South  Pole. 

The  east-and-west  lines  cross  the  map  from  side  to 
side,  and  are  called  parallels. 

The  line  extending  around  the  globe,  half  way  be- 
tween the  poles,  is  the  Equator. 

Toward  the  top  of  the  map,  along  a  meridian,  i» 
north;  toward  the  bottom,  south. 


DISTAl^CES  ON  MAPS.  191 


Toward  the  right  hand,  along  a  parallel,  is  east; 
toward  the  left,  west. 

Exercise.  —  Turn  to  the  hemisphere-maps  (pp.  194, 195).  What 
continents  are  shown  upon  each?  What  oceans?  Find  the  Equa- 
tor ;  the  meridians ;  the  parallels.  Trace  a  line  directly  north  and 
south  across  the  map.  Trace  a  line  directly  east  and  west.  In 
what  direction  is  Europe  from  Asia?  Asia  from  Australia? 
Africa  from  Europe  ?  Australia  from  Europe  ?  Africa  from  Asia  ? 
South  America  from  North  America?  On  p.  190  is  a  picture  of 
the  hemispheres  :  find  in  it  the  meridians ;  the  parallels ;  the  North 
Pole ;  the  South  Pole ;  the  Equator.  Can  you  tell  the  names  of 
the  continents  and  oceans  in  the  picture  ? 


IV. -DISTANCE  ON  MAPS  AND  GLOBES. 

Distance  on  maps  and  globes  is  shown  by  numbers  upon 
the  parallels  and  meridians.  You  know  that  along  some 
railroads  you  see  mile-posts,  from  time  to  time,  with  num- 
bers upon  them  giving  the  distance  in  miles  from  some 
important  place. 

But  on  globes  and  maps  distances  are  marked  in  degrees^ 
not  miles.  A  degree  (written  1°)  is  one  three  hundred  and 
sixtieth  part  of  the  whole  distance  around  the  earth.  Dis- 
tance north  or  south  is  always  reckoned  from  the  Equator. 
Distance  east  or  west  is  reckoned  from  some  meridian  agreed 
upon,  which  is  named  the  prime  meridian. 

Distance  from  the  Equator  is  called  latitude.  Places 
north  of  the  Equator  are  in  north  latitude;  those  south, 
in  south  latitude. 

Distance  from  the  prime  meridian  is  called  longitude. 
Places  east  of  the  prime  meridian  are  in  east  longitude ; 
those  west,  in  west  longitude. 


192  GEOGRAPHICAL  PRIMER, 


Each  parallel  is  marked  with  the  number  of  degrees 
of  latitude  between  it  and  the  Equator. 

Each  meridian  is  marked  with  the  number  of  degrees 
of  longitude  between  it  and  the  prime  meridian. 

The  Equator  and  the  prime  meridian  are  marked 
0,  because  they  are  the  lines  from  which  reckoning 
begins. 

Exercise.— Turn  to  the  map  of  the  Eastern  Hemisphere. 
What  figure  is  against  the  Equator,  in  the  border  of  this  map? 
Find  the  meridian  marked  0.  Why  are  these  two  lines  marked 
0  ?  Read  the  numbers  on  the  meridians  east  of  the  prime  merid- 
ian. Read  the  numbers  on  the  parallels  north  of  the  Equator. 
What  do  these  numbers  show?  Is  Xorth  America  in  east,  or 
west,  longitude  ?    Is  it  in  north,  or  south,  latitude  ? 


V. -REVIEW. 


I.  What  is  the  shape  of  the  earth?  How  large  is  it?  Of  what 
does  its  surface  consist  ?  How  much  of  it  is  land  ?  How  much  is 
water  ?  What  is  the  whole  water-surface  called  ?  How  is  the  water 
divided  ?     How  is  the  land  divided  ?    AVhat  is  geography  ? 

II.  How  is  the  earth  represented  for  study  ?  What  is  a  globe  ? 
What  is  a  map  ?  What  do  the  hemisphere-maps  show  ?  What  are 
the  colors  on  the  maps  for  ? 

III.  How  is  direction  shown  on  maps?  AVhat  are  the  north- 
and-south  lines  called  ?  The  east-and-west  lines  ?  Where  do  the 
meridians  meet  ?  AVhere  is  the  Equator  ?  Which  way  on  the  map 
is  north?     East?     South?     AVest? 

IV.  How  is  distance  shown  on  maps  ?  What  is  a  degree  ? 
What  is  latitude?  North  latitude?  South  latitude?  What  is 
longitude  ?  East  longitude  ?  AVest  longitude  ?  What  does  the 
number  on  each  parallel  show  ?  On  each  meridian  ?  How  are  the 
Equator  and  the  prime  meridian  marked  ?     Why  ? 


C02iTINENTS,   ISLANDS,   AND   OCEANS,         193 


VI. -CONTINENTS,  ISLANDS,  AND  OCEANS. 

You  have  already  noticed  how  the  sea  is  divided  into 
oceans,  and  the  land  into  continents  and  islands.  You  will 
see  on  the  globe,  that  all  the  great  islands  are  near  the  bor- 
ders of  the  continents  ;  but  there  are  very  many  little  ones 
far  away  in  the  midst  of  the  oceans.  The  continents  and 
islands  contain  countries,  and  are  the  homes  of  people.  The 
oceans  afford  routes  of  travel  and  trade  between  the  countries 
on  their  borders. 

There  are  six  continents.  Europe,  Asia,  Africa,  and 
Australia  are  in  the  Eastern  Hemisphere ;  North  Amer- 
ica and  South  America,  in  the  Western. 

The  largest  continent  is  Asia,  but  Europe  and  North 
America  have  the  richest  and  most  important  countries. 

The  largest  islands  are  New  Guinea  and  Borneo,  be- 
tween Asia  and  Australia  ;  but  the  richest  and  most 
powerful  is  Great  Britain,  near  the  coast  of  Europe. 

There  are  five  oceans.  The  Pacific  is  the  largest. 
All  the  most  important  countries  border  on  the  Atlantic 
or  its  arms,  and  the  most  travel  and  trade  cross  it.  The 
others  are  the  Indian^  Arctic^  and  Antarctic  Oceans. 

Exercise.  —  Turn  to  the  Hemisphere  Maps.  What  continents, 
in  each  hemisphere,  border  upon  the  Pacific  Ocean  ?  The  Atlantic 
Ocean  ?  What  continents  border  upon  the  Indian  Ocean  ?  The 
Arctic?  The  Antarctic?  Which  of  all  these  oceans  border  upon 
our  own  country  ?  Which  ocean  do  we  use  most  ?  What  use  do 
we  make  of  it  ? 

The  girls  may  write  what  we  would  see  in  crossing  the  Atlantic ; 
the  boys  write  how,  where,  and  for  what,  whales  are  caught. 
(Pages  110-112.) 


WESTEEN  HEMISPHERE. 

What  continents  are  in  the  Western  hemisphere  ? 
What  oceans  are  partly  in  the  Western  hemisphere  ? 
In  which  continent  is  the  United  States  ? 


In  what  direction  from  us  is  South  America? 

In  what  direction  from  South  America  are  we  ? 

In  what  direction  from  us  is  each  of  the  oceans  ? 

Which  continent  is  crossed  by  the  Equator  ? 

Is  North  America  in  north  latitude,  or  in  south  latitude  ?    Why? 

194 


EASTEEir  HEMISPHERE. 

What  continents  are  in  the  eastern  hemisphere  ? 

What  ocean  is  wholly  in  this  hemisphere?     What  ones  partly? 

What  continent  is  crossed  by  the  Equator  ? 


AVhich  continents  are  in  north  latitude  ? 

In  what  latitude  is  most  of  Africa? 

In  what  latitude  is  Australia  ? 

In  w  hat  direction  from  Europe  is  Asia  ?     Africa  ?    Australia  ? 

What  oceans  touch  Europe  ?    Asia  ?    Africa  ?     Australia  ? 

195 


196 


GEOGBAPHICAL  PBIMEB, 


VIL -BORDER  LANDS  AND  WATERS. 

When  you  notice  the  map  of  North  America,  you  see  that 
a  very  crooked  line  marks  its  borders.  In  some  places  the 
land  juts  out  into  the  ocean,  so  that  parts  of  it  are  nearly 


R 


1 


I.  Mountain. 

6.  Bay. 


2.  Plain.  3.  Island.  4.  Cape.  5.  Peninsula. 

7.  Harbor.  8.  River.  9.  Strait. 


separated  from  the  rest.  In  other  places,  parts  of  the  oceans 
run  into  the  land  so  that  they  seem  almost  like  lakes.  There 
are  small  points  of  land  here  and  there,  and  there  is  a  long 
narrow  neck  connectino;  North  America  with  South  America. 


LANDSUBFACE.  197 


The  land  which  borders  upon  the  water  is  called  the 
coast  or  shore. 

A  peninsula  is  a  part  of  the  coast  land  nearly  sur- 
rounded by  water. 

A  cape  is  a  point  of  land  projecting  into  the  water. 

An  isthmus  is  a  narrow  neck  of  land  connecting  two 
bodies  of  land. 

Parts  of  the  oceans  which  lie  within  or  among  the 
lands  are  called  g-ulfs,  hays,  and  seas. 

Narrow  passages  of  water,  connecting  bodies  of  water, 
are  called  straits,  channels,  and  sounds.  The  shallow 
passages  are  the  ones  usua-lly  called  sounds. 

Exercise.  —  Turn  to  the  map  of  N^orth  America  (p.  243).  Point 
to  any  part  of  the  coast.  Xame  all  the  gulfs,  bays,  and  seas  which 
you  find  along  the  coast.  What  straits  can  you  find?  What  waters 
does  each  connect?  Wliat  isthmus  can  you  find?  What  lands  does 
it  connect?  Name  all  the  capes  which  you  see;  the  peninsulas; 
the  islands.  Name  the  lands  and  waters  in  the  picture  opposite. 
W^hat  harbor  (p.  40)  have  you  read  about?  Where  is  New  York 
Harbor  ? 


VIII.  -  LAND-SURFACE, 
(Part  L,  Pages  20,  65,  m.) 

In  parts  of  our  country,  we  have  seen  wide  plains,  some 
with  a  level  surface,  and  some  covered  with  low  hills.  Else- 
where the  land  is  lifted  up  into  great  mountain-ranges  with 
valleys  between  them  ;  or  it  forms  wide  table-lands  so  dry 
as  to  be  almost  deserts.  All  these  different  lands  are  use- 
ful. Some  are  good  for  tillage  and  pasturage,  some  afford 
fine  forests,  and  others  contain  rich  minerals. 

Hills  are  parts  cf  the  land  but  little  higher  than  the 
surrounding  country.     Mountains  are  very  high  lands. 


198  GEOGBAPHICAL  PBIMEB, 


A  long  ridge  of  mountain  land  is  a  mountain-raiige. 

Many  ranges  connected  make  a  mountain-system. 

A  valley  is  a  narrow  tract  of  land  between  higher  lands. 

A  plain  is  an  extended  region  of  level  land.  Some 
plains  are  quite  flat,  others  have  a  rolling  surface. 

A  high  plain  is  called  a  table-land,  or  plateau.  Some 
table-lands  are  surrounded  by  mountains. 

Exercise. — What  plains  in  the  United  States  have  you  read 
about  ?  What  mountains  do  you  remember  ?  Find  these  on  the 
map  (p.  243)  of  North  America.  Do  you  remember  the  highest 
mountains  in  the  world  (p.  176)  ?  The  highest  peak  is  Mount 
Everest,  more  than  five  and  one-half  miles  high.  There  is  a  pic- 
ture of  it  on  p.  177.  Find  it.  What  kinds  of  land  are  shown  in 
the  picture  on  p.  7  ?  16  ?  30  ?  47  ? 


IX. -THE  WATER  UPON  THE  LAND. 
(Part  I.,  Pages  23-29.) 

You  know  that  some  of  the  rain,  as  it  falls,  sinks  into 
the  ground,  and  makes  springs.  Brooks  flow  from  springs, 
making  rivers  and  lakes  ;  and  rivers  find  their  way  from  the 
highlands,  through  the  valleys  and  across  the  plains,  to  the 
sea.  Did  you  know  that  the  water  is  only  seeking  its  own 
home?  That  which  feeds  the  springs,  and  makes  the  lakes 
and  streams,  once  rose  from  the  sea  as  vapor,  and  floated 
away  over  the  land  to  produce  rain-clouds.  This  is  one 
benefit  that  comes  from  there  being  more  sea  than  land  on 
the  earth,  for  so  the  land  gets  more  moisture. 

A  sprinsr  is  water  flowing  from  within  the  ground. 
Springs  are  the  sources  of  brooks  and  rivers. 

Brooks  are  small  streams  of  water ;  rivers  are  large 
streams. 


THE    WATER    UPON   THE  LAND. 


199 


Tributaries  are  the  streams  which  flow  into  a  river. 

Towards  the  source,  or  beginning,  is  up  stream ;  and 
towards  the  opposite  end,  or  mouth,  is  down  stream. 

The  banks  of  a  stream  are  the  ground  along  each 
side  of  it.     The  rig-lit  bank  is  the  one  on  the  right  hand 


Lake   Champlain. 

of  a  person  facing  down  stream.     The  other  one  is  the 
left  bank. 

A  lake  is  a  body  of  water  in  a  hollow  of  the  land. 
Most  lakes  are  fresh,  but  some  are  salt  like  the  sea. 

Exercise.  —  Turn  to  the  map  of  North  America  (p.  243).  Find 
Lake  Superior ;  some  other  great  lakes.  How  are  they  represented  ? 
Find  the  Mississippi  River.  How  are  rivers  represented  ?  What 
other  rivers  can  you  find  ?  Where  is  the  source  of  the  Missouri  ? 
Where  does  the  water  of  the  Missouri  find  the  ocean  ? 


200  GEOGRAPUICAL   PBIMEB. 


X.- REVIEW. 

YL  How  many  continents  are  there?  Name  those  in  each 
hemisphere.  Which  is  the  largest  ?  Which  have  the  most  impor- 
tant countries  ?  What  and  where  are  the  largest  two  islands  V 
What  and  where  is  the  most  rich  and  powerful  island  ?  How  many 
oceans  are  there?  iS'ame  them.  Which  is  the  largest?  Which 
is  most  important  ?     Why  is  the  Atlantic  important  ? 

Vn.  What  is  the  coast?  A  peninsula?  A  cape?  An  isth- 
mus? What  are  parts  of  the  ocean  extending  into  the  land 
called  ?  What  are  narrow  passages  of  water  called  ?  How  do  the 
sounds  differ  from  other  passages  of  water  ? 

YIII.  What  are  hills?  Mountains?  Wliat  is  a  mountain- 
range?  A  mountain-system?  A  valley?  A  j)lain?  A  table- 
land ?  What  kinds  of  surface  have  plains  ?  What  is  the  highest 
mountain-system  in  the  world  ?  W^hat  is  the  highest  peak  ?  How 
high  is  it  ? 

IX.  What  is  a  spring?  A  brook?  A  river?  A  tributary 
stream  ?  A  lake  ?  What  is  meant  by  up  stream  ?  Down  stream  ? 
What  is  the  source  of  a  stream  ?  The  mouth  ?  The  banks  ?  The 
right  and  the  left  bank  ?     What  kind  of  water  is  in  lakes  ? 

Write  all  you  remember  about  the  Mississippi,  —  where  its  source 
is,  what  great  tributaries  it  has,  and  what  sort  of  country  is  along 
its  course. 


XL -CLIMATE  AND  ZONES. 

(Part  L,  Pages  76-78,  92,  99.) 

On  the  Amazon,  you  know,  there  is  constant  summor. 
Our  country  has  summer  during  a  part  of  the  year,  and  win- 
ter about  as  long.  The  Arctic  shores  have  winter  nearly 
all  the  time.  Some  countries  have  a  moist  air,  and  others 
are  very  dry ;  wliile  in  some  the  air  is  so  impure  as  to  make 
people  sick.  In  describing  these  conditions,  we  use  the  word 
climate.     South  America  has  a  hot  climate^  our  country  has  a 


THE  PLANTS  AND  ANIMALS.  201 


temperate  climate^  and  the  Arctic  shores  liave  a  cold  climate. 
Countries  alike  in  climate  are  situated  about  the  same  dis- 
tance from  the  Equator :  so  we  think  of  them  as  forming 
belts,  or  zones^  around  the  earth.  There  are  four  parallels, 
with  names,  which  mark  the  boundaries  of  the  zones. 

The  climate  of  a  country  is  the  state  of  the  air.  It 
may  be  warm,  cold,  or  temperate;  moist  or  dry, healthy 
or  unhealthy. 

The  hottest  countries  lie  on  and  near  the  Equator, 
and  form  the  Torrid  (burning)  Zone.  It  extends  from 
the  Tropic  of  Cancer  to  the  Tropic  of  Capricorn. 

The  temperate  countries  form  two  Temperate  Zones. 
The  northern  extends  from  the  Tropic  of  Cancer  to  the 
Arctic  Circle ;  the  southern,  from  the  Tropic  of  Capri- 
corn to  the  Antarctic  Circle. 

The  very  cold  regions  form  two  Frigid  (frozen) 
Zones.  The  northern  extends  from  the  Arctic  Circle 
to  the  North  Pole ;  the  southern,  from  the  Antarctic 
Circle  to  the  South  Pole. 

Exercise.  —  Turn  to  the  map  of  Hemispheres.  Find  the  Equa- 
tor and  the  four  named  parallels.  In  which  zone  is  our  country? 
Most  of  Africa?  Of  South  America?  Of  Europe  and  Asia? 
Which  zones  have  most  land?  Which  zone  has  least?  In  which 
would  you  rather  live  ?  Why  ?  W^hat  climate  is  there  at  the  foot 
(p.  99)  of  the  Andes?  On  their  middle  slopes?  At  the  top? 
Climate  always  grows  cooler  from  the  bottom  to  the  top  of  moun- 
tains, as  w^ell  as  from  the  Equator  towards  the  Poles. 


XII. -THE  PLANTS  AND  ANIMALS. 

(Part  L,  Pages  93-97.) 

Nowhere  are  there  such  great  forests,  such  brilliant  flowers, 
so  many  choice  fruits  and  rich  spices,  as  in  the  selvas  of  the 


-OJ 


GEOGRAPHICAL   PlilMER. 


Amazon  and  in  the  Indies.  The  Torrid  Zone  has  no  winter 
to  stop  the  growth  of  plants,  but  plenty  of  heat  and  moisture 
to  perfect  them.  Beyond  this  zone,  plants  become  fewer  and 
less  luxuriant  until,  in  the  Frigid  Zone,  there  are  hardly  any 
but  mosses.  The  Torrid  Zone,  too,  has  the  largest  and  most 
dangerous  wild  beasts  and  serpents,  and  the  most  brilliant 
birds  and  insects.  In  the  Temperate  Zone  most  of  the  wild 
animals  are  harmless,  many  of  the  birds  sing,  and  few  in- 
sects are  poisonous. 


T^ORTH  FRTfllD. 


SOUTH  FRllii^- 


The  Zones. 

Plants  grow  most  luxuriantly  in  the  Torrid  Zone. 
Coffee,  sugar-cane,  spices,  and  many  delicate  fruits 
belong  to  this  zone. 


RACES    OF  MEN.  203 


111  the  Temperate  Zone  plants  stop  growing  in  winter, 
and  most  trees  lose  their  leaves.  Most  of  the  cultivated 
plants  are  native  to  the  North  Temperate  Zone. 

The  Frigid  Zone  has  few  plants  except  mosses. 

Wild  animals  are  most  numerous,  largest,  and  most 
dangerous  in  the  Torrid  Zone,  and  the  birds  and  insects 
are  most  brilliant. 

The  domestic  animals  nearly  all  originated  in  the 
North  Temperate  Zone. 

The  Frigid  Zone  has  few  large  land-animals,  but  the 
greatest  creatures  of  the  sea  are  found  there. 

Exercise. — The  picture  on  the  opposite  page  shows  some 
plants  and  animals  in  the  different  zones.  Name  some  in  the 
Torrid  Zone.  Have  you  seen  any  of  these,  or  any  others  of  that 
zone?  What  animals  of  our  country  have  you  seen  most?  Do 
you  see  any  of  them  in  the  picture?  In  what  zone  are  they? 
Because  they  are  tamed,  and  accustomed  to  live  among  men,  they 
are  called  domestic  animals.  What  animals  do  you  see  in  the  South 
Temperate  Zone  ?  In  the  Frigid  Zones  ?  What  makes  the  Torrid 
Zone  best  for  plants  ? 

XIII. -RACES  OF  MEN. 
In  our  countr}^,  are  white  men  and  negroes,  reddish-brown 
Indians,  and  a  few  yellowish-brown  Chinese  and  Japanese. 
On  the  islands  of  the  Pacific,  are  blackish-brown  people,  and 
in  Australia  black  people.  On  account  of  such  differences 
among  them,  mankind  are  divided  into  races. 

There  are  six  races  of  men,  —  one  white,  three  brown- 
ish, and  two  black. 

The  white  race  are  the  native  people  of  Europe  and 
Western  Asia ;  but  they  have  spread  over  America  and 
parts  of  the  other  continents.  This  is  the  most  powerful 
race,  and  has  made  most  improvement. 


204 


GEOGRAPHICAL   PRIMER. 


The  yellowish-brown  people  belong  to  Japan,  China, 
and  the  rest  of  Eastern  Asia. 
They  are  called  the  yellow^  or 
Mongolian.,  race. 

The  blackish-brown  people 
live  on  the  islands  of  the  Pacific. 
They  are  called  the  hrown  race,, 
or  Malays, 

The  reddish-brown,  or  cop- 
per-colored people,  are  the  In- 
dians  of   America.     They  are 
called  the  red  race. 
The  black  races  belong  to  Africa  and  Australia.    The 
first  negroes  of  our  country  came  from  Africa. 

Exercise.  —  You  have  seen  persons  belonging  to  the  white 
race  :  what  other  races  have  you  seen  ?  Think  of  one  person  of 
each  race  that  you  have  seen,  and  write  all  about  him.  Tell 
whether  he  is  a  large  or  a  small  person,  the  color  of  his  skin  and 
eyes,  what  sort  of  hair  he  has,  any  thing  singular  about  the  shape 
of  his  head  and  features,  and  what  sort  of  dress  he  wears. 


One  of  the  White  or  Ruling  Race. 


XIV. -CIVILIZED  MEN. 


(Part  I.,  Pages  60-63.) 

In  our  country,  in  Europe,  and  in  other  parts  of  the 
world,  are  states,  kingdoms,  and  empires,  with  rich  cities  and 
educated  people  who  busy  themselves  about  many  different 
things.     These  are  civilized  nations. 

In  Africa,  and  some  other  countries,  are  men  who  get  all 
their  food  and  clothing  from  the  wild  plants  and  animals, 
and  know  how  to  build  only  the  rudest  huts  for  shelter. 
These   are   savages.      In   still    other   countries    the    people 


CIVILIZED  MEN. 


205 


till  the  soil,  or  raise  cattle,  instead  of  supplying  their  wants 
only  from  wild  plants  and  animals.  They  build  better  houses, 
and  know  how  to  make  many  thmgs  ;  but  they  have  neither 
books  nor  schools  for  the  improvement  of  their  minds.  Such 
are  barbarous  people.  They  are  often  as  cruel  and  warlike 
as  the  savages. 

Civilized  men  supply  their  wants  cliiefly  by  agricul- 
ture, manufacturing,  and  commerce. 

In  countries  on  the  sea-coast,  they  also  engage  in 
fishing ;  where  there  are  fine  forests,  in  lumhering  ;  and 


v^ummerce. 


where  there  are  valuable  beds  of  stone  or  other  min- 
erals, in  quarrying  and  mining. 

Agriculture  is  tilling  the  soil,  and  raising  plants  and 
animals,  to  procure  materials  for  food  and  clothing. 


206  GEOGRAPHICAL   riilMER. 


Manufacturing:  is  making  articles  from  raw  materials. 
Most  things  obtained  by  agriculture  must  be  manufac- 
tured before  they  are  fit  for  use. 

Commerce  is  buying  and  selling,  or  exchanging  goods. 
Some  countries  can  better  produce  one  thing,  and  some 
another.  By  commerce,  each  can  obtain  the  productions 
of  all. 

Exercise. — These  are  but  few  of  the  things  civilized  people 
do :  name  some  classes  of  persons  who  do  other  things.  (Artists, 
who  spend  their  time  in  making  beautiful  things ;  preachers  and 
teachers,  who  instruct  the  people;  lawyers,  doctors,  authors,  etc.) 
Name  the  materials  we  use  most  for  food  ;  for  clothing  ;  for  shelter. 
How  do  we  get  them  ?  Name  some  of  the  things  we  obtain  only 
by  commerce.  From  what  countries  do  they  come  ?  What  business 
is  shown  in  the  picture  on  the  preceding  page  ?  On  p.  30?  36? 
49?  Which  business  would  you  prefer?  Why?  The  pictures  on 
pp.  64,  80,  and  165  show  savage  life.     Would  you  like  it  ? 


XV. -REVIEW. 


XI.  What  is  climate  ?  How  many  zones  are  there  ?  Wliere  is 
the  Torrid  Zone?  Each  Temperate  Zone?  Each  Frigid  Zone? 
How  does  climate  change  from  the  Equator  to  the  Poles  ?  From 
the  bottom  to  the  top  of  mountains? 

Xn.  In  what  zone  are  plants  most  luxuriant  ?  In  what  zones 
least  so?  To  what  zone  do  most  of  our  cultivated  plants  belong? 
Where  are  wild  animals  largest  and  most  dangerous  ?  In  which 
were  the  domestic  animals  native  ?  What  sort  of  animals  live  in 
the  Frigid  Zone? 

XIII.  How  many  races  are  there?  What  are  their  colors? 
Where  are  the  white  race  ?  The  yellow  race  ?  The  brown  race  ? 
The  red  race  ?     W^here  are  the  black  races  ? 

XIV.  How  do  civilized  nations  supply  their  wants?  Define 
agriculture  ;  manufacturing  ;  commerce.  How  do  savages  supply 
their  wants  ?     Barbarous  people  ? 


r 


NORTH   AMERICA. 


XVL— THE  UNITED  STATES. 
(Part  L,  Pages  8-12,  17-19,  03-69.) 

In  imaginary  journeys  wc  crossed  the  Atlantic  Plain  in 
New  Jersey,  seeing  its  fine  farms  ;  and  the  Appalachian 
Mountains  in  Pennsylvania,  noticing  the  abundance  of  iron 
and  coal ;    then  entered   the  rich,  rolling  Central  Plain  in 


A  Western  Farm. 

Ohio.  We  descended  the  Mississippi,  passing  prairie  farms, 
cotton-fields  and  sugar-plantations.  We  crossed  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  the  barren  Table-land,  and  the  Sierra  Nevada, 
with  their  treasures  of  gold  and  silver,  and  through  wide, 
fruitful  valleys  reached  the  Pacific. 

207 


208  GEOGJRAPHICAL   FBIMEIL 


The  United  States  is  in  the  middle  of  North  America. 
It  extends  from  the  Atlantic  Ocean  to  the  Pacific,  and 
from  the  Great  Lakes  to  thejGiilf  of  Mexico. 

The  Atlantic  Plain  is  on  the  eastern  side,  bordering 
upon  the  Atlantic  Ocean. 

The  Appalachian  Mountains  lie  next,  extending  from 
the  northern  boundary  nearly  to  the  southern. 

The  Central  Plain  fills  the  middle,  reaching  from 
the  Appalachian  to  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

The  Table-land  and  the  nioiintain-systems  that  form 
its  borders  occupy  the  western  part  of  the  country.  Be- 
yond them  are  only  valleys  and  low  coast-ranges. 

Exercise.  —  (Open  books  to  map  of  United  States.)  Across 
what  three  States  (pp.  8,  20)  were  our  first  journeys  ?  Find  these 
States.  Find  the  cities  noticed  in  them.  How  (see  map,  left-hand 
lower  corner)  are  the  cities  marked  on  the  map?  Why,  then,  is 
Trenton  marked  differently  from  Cincinnati?  What  region  is 
between  the  Appalachian  and  the  Kocky  Mountains  ?  The  Central 
Plain  is  the  richest  division  of  our  country  r  it  is  also  the  largest. 
Write  all  you  remember  about  the  surface  of  the  Central  Plain. 


XVII. -CLIMATE  OP  THE  UNITED  STATES. 
(Part  I.,  Pages  10,  33-37.) 

You  know  how  much  warmer  the  southern  part  of  our 
country  is  than  the  northern.  The  southernmost  points  reach 
nearly  to  the  tropic,  and  are  almost  as  warm  as  the  Torrid 
Zone.  But  the  western  half  is  very  unlike  the  eastern  in 
moisture.  You  remember  how  productive  the  country  is 
throughout  the  East,  how  dry  it  becomes  towards  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  and  how  barren  the  Table-land  is.  But  beyond 
the  Sierra  Nevada  and  Cascade  Mountains  are  rich  valleys, 
with  plenty  of  rain. 


DIVISIONS   OF  THE    UNITED   STATES.  209 


The  United  States  is  in  the  southern  half  of  the 
North  Temperate  Zone. 

The  climate  of  the  northern  border  is  cool,  winter 
lasting  several  months.  Towards  the  south  it  becomes 
warmer,  and  the  southern  border  has  hardly  any  winter. 

Kain  is  abundant  in  the  eastern  half  of  the  country, 
but  the  high  lands  in  the  western  half  are  generally 
quite  dry.  The  Pacific  coast  lands  have  rain  enough, 
and  are  warmer  than  the  Atlantic  coasts. 

The  cultivated  plants  vary  with  the  climate,  wheat 
growing  to  the  extreme  north.  Farther  south  are  corn, 
tobacco,  and  the  vine  ;  then  cotton  and  rice  ;  and,  in  the 
southernmost  parts,  sugar-cane,  figs,  and  oranges. 

Exercise.  —  (Open  books  to  map  of  United  States.)  Name  the 
northern  divisions  of  the  country  west  of  Lake  Huron  ;  the  northern- 
most State  on  the  Atlantic  coast.  What  parallel  crosses  these  divis- 
ions ?  Where  is  this  parallel  on  the  globe  ?  (Half  way  from  the 
Equator  to  the  North  Pole.)  Name  the  two  southernmost  States. 
What  parallel  is  near  their  southern  points  ?  Find  the  southernmost 
point  of  California:  what  city  on  the  Atlantic  coast  is  just  opposite 
this  ?  You  see  that  the  Pacific  coast  is  opposite  the  middle  and 
northern  part  of  the  Atlantic  coast,  but  it  is  as  warm  as  the  middle 
and  southern  part.  Find  the  meridian  of  100°  west  longitude  ;  all 
the  dry,  barren  lands  lie  west  of  it. 


XVIIL- DIVISIONS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

The  eastern  half  of  the  United  States  contains  a  much 
larger  population  than  the  western.  Near  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains and  on  most  of  the  Table-land  beyond,  the  ground 
will  not  produce  enough  to  support  a  population ;  but  most 
things  that  are  needed  must  be  brought  from  long  distances 
with  great  trouble.     So  not  many  people  have  gone  to  these 


210  GEOGRAPHICAL   PlUMEll. 


high  lands,  except  where  gold  and  silver  can  be  obtained. 
Tlie  Territories  are  great  divisions  of  country  which  do  not 
yet  contain  people  enough  to  make  States. 

The  United  States  is  divided  into  thirty-eight  States 
and  nine  Territories. 

All  the  States  but  four  lie  east  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains. Colorado  is  crossed  by  these  mountains.  Nevada 
is  on  the  Table-land ;  and  California  and  Oregon  are  on 
the  Pacific  coast. 

The  Territories,  excepting  two,  lie  among  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  or  west  of  them.  Two  are  in  the  Central 
Plain. 

The  District  of  Columbia,  in  which  Washington  is 
situated,  belongs  to  the  Government. 

Alaska,  in  the  north-west  corner  of  North  America, 
belongs  to  the  United  States.     It  was  bought  of  Russia. 

Exercise. — (Open  books  to  map  of  United  States.)  Read  the 
names  of  all  the  Territories.  Read  the  names  of  all  the  States  that 
touch  the  Atlantic;  the  Gulf  of  Mexico;  the  Pacific;  the  Missis- 
sippi ;  the  Missouri;  the  Ohio.  What  other  States  are  there ?  Copy 
the  names  of  all  the  States. 


XIX.  — GOVERNMENT  OP  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

In  the  United  States  the  rulers  and  law-makers  of  the 
nation  are  all  chosen  by  the  people.  Such  a  government  is 
a  EepubUc.  The  highest  officer  is  the  President.  There  are 
two  bodies  of  men,  who  unite  to  make  the  laws.  They  are 
together  called  the  Congress:  one  body  is  the  Senate^  and 
the  other  is  the  House  of  Representatives, 

P>ery  State  sends  two  of  its  citizens  to  the  Senate,  and 
one  or  more  to  the  House ;  and  every  State  takes  part  in 
choosing  the  President,  so  that  all  have  a  share  in  governing 


GOVERNMENT  OF  THE   UNITED   STATES.       211 


the  country.    The  President  lives  at  Washington,  and  Con- 
gress meets  there  :  thus  it  is  the  seat  of  government. 

The  United  States  is  a  republic.  It  contains  over 
fifty  millions  of  people.  The  President  is  the  highest 
officer  of  the  Government. 


Faneuil  Hall,   Boston,— the  Old   "Cradle  of  Liberty." 

The  laws  are  made  by  Congress,  which  meets  every 
year.  Congrress  consists  of  a  Senate  and  a  House  of 
Representatives. 

The  Senate  is  composed  of  two  senators  from  each 
State. 

The   House    consists    of  representatives   from    each 


"  \  MADISON  I 

Dubuque  ey—i T 

\  >=f>  U'^  ^'^' 

OV  W     A 

DESjfcl^S 


._..! 


lSFKIKGFIEXD  ''Jj 


1    l^'^ 

y«"^^ux,^  tern*"'  - 


rv 


•1 . 

it.iroi:  AH 


V 


^ 


214  GEOGEAPHICAL   PRIMER. 


State.     The  number  each  State  sends,  depends  upon  its 
population. 

The  seat  of  government  of  a  country  is  called  the 
capital.      Wasliing'ton   is   the    capital    of   the    United 

States. 

Exercise.  —  Who  is  now  President?  What  President  died  in 
1881  ?  Who  took  his  place  ?  How  did  Mr.  Arthur  become  Vice- 
president?  (The  people  chose  hhn.)  When  Queen  Victoria  dies, 
who  will  succeed  her  ?  (Her  son  inherits  the  office.)  Where  the 
chief  ruler  inherits  his  office,  the  government  is  a  monarchy.  Eng- 
land is  a  monarchy.  The  picture  on  p.  211  shows  you  a  famous 
old  building  in  Boston.  It  is  called  "  The  Cradle  of  American 
Liberty,"  on  account  of  the  spirited  public  meetings  held  there 
during  the  exciting  times  of  the  Revolutionary  War. 


XX. -REVIEW. 


XVI.  Where  is  the  United  States?  How  far  does  it  extend? 
What  regions  compose  the  country  ?  Where  is  the  Atlantic  Plain  ? 
The  Appalachian  system?  The  Central  Plain?  The  Table-land? 
What  mountain-systems  border  the  Table-land  (p.  66)?  What  lies 
west  of  the  Sierra  system  ? 

XVII.  In  what  zone  is  the  United  States  ?  Describe  the  climate. 
In  what  parts  of  the  country  is  rain  abundant?  Which  part  is 
dry  ?  Which  is  warmer,  the  Atlantic  or  Pacific  coast  ?  Name  some 
cultivated  plants  in  the  north,  the  middle,  and  the  south. 

XVIII.  How  maily  States  in  the  Union  ?  How  many  Territo 
ries?  In  which  part  are  most  of  the  States?  The  Territories? 
Where  is  the  District  of  Columbia?  Alaska?  How  did  Alaska 
become  ours? 

XIX.  What  is  the  government  of  the  United  States  ?  What  is 
the  population  ?  What  is  a  republic  ?  What  is  the  highest  officer  ? 
By  what  body  are  the  laws  made  ?  Of  what  does  Congress  con- 
sist? How  is  the  Senate  composed?  The  House?  What  is  the 
capital  of  the  United  States  ?    What  is  the  capital  of  any  country'^ 


NEW  ENGLAND.  215 


(Map  of  United  States.)  What  two  oceans  border  upon 
the  United  States?  What  country  at  the  north?  What  gulf  and 
country  at  the  south  ?  What  system  of  mountains  in  the  eastern 
part  ?  What  two  systems  in  the  western  part  ?  Name  the  greatest 
river  in  the  United  States ;  its  greatest  two  tributaries ;  two  long 
rivers  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains ;  five  great  lakes  north  of  the 
Ohio ;  a  salt  lake  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

jSTame  the  Territories.  Which  two  are  farthest  east?  Name  tha 
States  bordering  upon  the  Atlantic;  upon  the  Gulf  of  Mexico; 
upon  the  Pacific ;  upon  the  Mississippi ;  upon  the  Missouri ;  upon 
the  Ohio;  upon  the  Great  Lakes.  Which  States  do  not  border 
upon  any  of  these  waters  ?  Name  the  northernmost  State  of  the 
Union ;  the  southernmost  two  States. 


XXI. -NEW  ENGLAND. 
(Part  I.,  Pages  59-61.) 

You  have  already  learned  much  about  this  part  of  our 
country.  A  brave  captain  from  England,  who  explored  it 
when  it  was  all  a  wilderness,  called  it  New  England^  in  honor 
of  his  own  country  across  the  Atlantic.  The  first  white 
settlers  are  called  "  the  Pilgrim  Fathers."  They  were  Eng- 
lish people,  and  came  over  in  a  ship  named  "The  May- 
flower'' in  the  year  1G20.  Their  landing-place  was  at 
Plymouth,  on  the  coast  of  Massachusetts. 

New  England  contains  six  States,  —  Maine,  New 
Hampshire,  Vermont,  Massachusetts,  Rhode  Island, 
and  Connecticut. 

The  country  is  rough,  but  beautiful.  The  river- 
valleys  and  a  part  of  the  coast  are  the  only  level 
lands. 

There  are  no  very  high  mountains.  The  White 
Mountains,  in  New  Hampshire,  are  the  highest ;  and  the 
Green  Mountains,  in  Vermont,  are  the  longest  range. 


216  GEOGRAPHICAL   PRIMEB, 


The  lakes  are  quite  small,  and  the  rivers  are  short 
and  full  of  rapids  and  falls.  Moosehead  is  the  largest 
lake,  and  the  Connecticut  is  the  longest  river. 


A  New  England  Homestead. 

The  climate  is  cool.  The  winters  are  long,  but  the 
summers  are  very  pleasant. 

Exercise.  —  (Open  books  to  map  of  New  England.)  Find  the 
States,  mountains,  river,  and  lake  named  in  this  lesson.  Tell  what 
surromids  Maine,  beginning  at  the  north.  This  is  called  bound- 
ing Maine.  Bound  each  State.  Find  an  island  belonging  to 
Maine ;  two  islands  belonging  to  Massachusetts. 


XXII. -BUSINESS  AND  CITIES. 

New  England  is  not  a  great  farming  country ;  for  the 
rough,  stony  land  is  hard  to  till,  and  many  of  the  people 
prefer  to  get  a  living  in  some  other  way.  Vermont  is  the 
only  State  where  farming  is  the  chief  business.  The  others 
take  advantage  of  their  rapid  streams  for  driving  mill- 
wbeels,  and  their  fine  harbors  for  commerce.    Besides  these 


BUSINESS  AND   CITIES. 


217 


occupations,  Maine  produces  lumber,  and  builds  ships,  and 
Massachusetts  sends  many  men  to  the  fisheries.  Vermont 
furnishes  marble,  and  other  States  granite.  Massachusetts 
and  Rhode  Island  are  more  densely  peopled  than  any  other 
States  in  the  Union. 

The  leading:  occupations  in  New  England  are  manu- 
facturing and  commerce.  Massachusetts,  Rhode  Isl- 
and, and  Connecticut  manufacture  most,  and  have  the 
largest  cities.     Massachusetts  has  most  commerce. 


^,^fe 


A  Manufacturing  Village. 


Boston  is  the  largest  city  in  New  England.  It  has 
nearly  four  hundred  thousand  inhabitants,  and  is  next 
to  New  York  in  the  extent  of  its  commerce. 


218  GEOailAPIlICAL   PlilMEB. 


Provkleiico,  the  second,  is  a  large  manufacturing 
city.     New  Haven  is  the  seat  of  Yale  College. 

Lowell  is  famous  for  its  cotton-mills,  and  Worcester 
for  its  machinery.  Cambridge  contains  Harvard  Uni- 
versity, the  oldest  college  in  Nevi^  England. 

Exercise.  —  (Open  books  to  map  of  New  England.)  Which 
two  States  have  the  most  seacoast  ?  How  do  they  make  it  useful  ? 
How^  does  the  map  show  the  largest  city  in  a  State  ?  (The  name  has 
a  line  drawn  under  it.)  Plow  the  capital?  One  State  has  two 
capitals  :  which  is  it  ?  What  are  they  ?  How  is  Newport  situated  ? 
Find  all  the  cities  named  in  the  lesson.  Which  of  these  are  capitals? 
Find  the  otlier  capital  cities.  Find  a  bay  on  the  coast ;  a  sound ;  two 
capes  ;  four  islands  near  the  coast.  Find  two  lakes ;  the  live  rivers 
which  look  the  longest. 


XXIII. -MAP  LESSON. 

Note. — To  locate  an  island,  tell  its  direction  from  the  nearest 
coast;  mountains  or  lakes,  tell  in  what  part,  of  what  State,  each  is; 
rivers,  tell  where  each  rises,  the  course  it  takes,  and  the  Avater  into 
which  it  flows;  cities,  tell  what  and  how  situated  each  is.  Thus: 
Portland,  the  largest  city  in  Maine,  is  situated  in  the  south-western 
part  of  the  State,  on  the  coast. 

Bound .  Irocate. 

Maine.  Mount  Desert   Island,   Moose^-head  Lake,  Pe- 

nob^-scot  Kiver,  Ken-ne-bec'  River,  Au-Gus'- 

TA,  PortMand. 
New  Hamp'-shiije.  White  Mountains,  Mer^-ri-mac  River,  Con'-cokd, 

Man'-ches-ter. 
Ver-mont'.  Green  Mountains,  Lake  Champlain,  MoNT-rpy- 

LiER,  Burlington. 
Mas-sa-chu^-setts.  Cape  Cod,  Cape  Ann,  Nan-tuck'-et,  Martha's 

Vineyard,     Boston,     Lo^-well,    Wor'-ces-tei* 
(  Woos'-tfr),  Cam'-bridge. 
Connecticut.  Long  Island  Sound,  Con-nect^i-cut  River,  Hart' 

FORD,  New  Haven. 
Hhode  Island.         Nar-ra-gan'-sett  Bay,  Prov'-i-dence,  New^-port. 


Xongitude       "West 


220  GEOGBAPHICAL  PBIMEB. 


XXIV. -REVIEW. 

XXI.  How  many  States  in  New  England?  Name  them. 
When  and  where  was  the  first  settlement  ?  What  sort  of  country 
is  New  England?  Where  are  the  level  lands?  What  and  where 
are  the  highest  mountains  ?  What  and  where  the  longest  range  ? 
What  is  peculiar  about  the  lakes  and  streams  ?  Name  the  largest 
lake ;  the  longest  river.     What  is  the  climate  of  New  England? 

XXII.  What  are  the  leading  occupations  in  New  England? 
What  else  is  done  ?  What  State  makes  farming  most  important  ? 
Which  States  lead  in  manufacturing?  Which  are  most  densely 
peopled  ?  Which  have  the  largest  cities  ?  What  is  the  largest  city 
in  New  England?  The  second  in  size?  What  is  interesting 
about  New  Haven  ?     Lowell  ?     Worcester  ?     Cambridge  ? 

XXIII.  Write  the  names  of  the  States,  mountains,  rivers,  and 
cities  learned  in  Lesson  XXIII. 


XXV. -MIDDLE  ATLANTIC  STATES. 
(Part  I.,  Pages  37-47.) 

These  are  the  States  which  lie  west  and  south  of  New 
England,  in  the  Appalachian  Mountains  and  the  Atlantic 
Plain.  They  are  rich  in  farming  land,  water-power,  and 
beds  of  coal  and  iron.  The  English  made  their  first  settle- 
ment this  side  of  the  Atlantic,  near  the  mouth  of  James 
River,  in  1607  ;  and  the  Dutch  at  the  mouth  of  the  Hudson, 
seven  years  later. 

The  Middle  Atlantic  States  are  seven,  —  New  York, 
New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  Delaware,  Maryland,  Vir- 
ginia, and  West  Virginia. 

Mountains  extend  from  North-eastern  New  York  to 
South-western  Virginia.  The  Adirondacks  are  the 
highest ;  and  the  Alleghany  range  is  the  longest. 


BUSINESS  AND   CITIES. 


221 


There  are  rich  farming  lands  on  both  sides  of  the 

mountain-region,    and   in 
the  valleys  within  it. 

The  Hudson  is  the  most 
important  river;  but  the 
Ohio  begins  in  Western 
Pennsylvania.    There  are 
many  lakes  in  New  York. 
The    climate,    in    New 
York,  is  much  like   that 
England ;    but 
the    summer 
grows  longer, 
and  the  win- 
ter is  milder, 
towards    the 
south. 

Locks  on  the  Erie  Canal,  at  Lockport. 

Exercise.  —  (Open  books  to  map  of  Middle  Atlantic  States.) 
Find  the  states,  mountains,  and  rivers  named  in  this  lesson.  What 
rivers  do  you  see,  about  which  you  have  read  ?  Find  James  River. 
What  makes  James  River  interesting  ?  Find  Lake  Ontario ;  Niag- 
ara River.  What  do  you  know  (pp.  51,  52)  about  them?  Who 
made  the  first  settlement  in  New  York,  and  where  ?  The  picture 
shows  you  some  " locks "  in  the  Erie  Canal:  what  have  you  read 
about  this  canal?  The  locks  are  built  to  enable  boats  to  pass 
from  one  level  in  the  bed  of  the  canal  to  another. 


XXVL- BUSINESS  AND  CITIES. 
(Part  I.,  Pages  12,  19,  37,  46,  62.) 

This  is  a  better  farming  region  than  New  England ;  for 
there  is  more  good  land,  and  the  climate  is  warmer.    The  four 


222 


GEOGRAPHICAL    PRIMER. 


southern  are  chiefly  farming  States,  raising  grain,  tobacco, 
and  fruits.  In  the  other  three,  manufacturing,  mining,  and 
commerce  arc  also  very  important.  Long  Island  and  Central 
New  Jersey  are  hardly  more  than  vast  gardens  for  supplying 
the  great  cities  with  fruits  and  vegetables.  The  mountain- 
forests  occupy  mauy  people  in  lumbering ;  and  large  num- 
bers work  at  the  oyster-beds  and  other  coast  fisheries. 

Agriculture,  mining,  manufacturing,  and  commerce 
are  the  leading  occupations.  Pennsylvania  leads  in 
mining,  New  York  in  manufacturing  and  commerce. 


Newark,   N.J. 


The  three  northern  States  in  this  group,  and  the  three 
southern  in  New  England,  constitute  the  leading  manu- 
facturing* and  commercial  region  in  the  United  States, 

Many  of  the  j»reatest  cities  of  the  Union  are  in  the 
Middle  Atlantic  States.  New  York  and  Philadelphia 
are  the  largest  in  the  Western  Hemisphere. 

New  York  contains  more  than  a  million  of  people. 
Its  commerce  extends  to  nearly  all  important  countries, 
and  it  has  a  great  amount  of  other  business. 


REVIEW.  223 


Brooklyn  is  on  Long  Island,  opposite  New  York. 
Many  persons  live  there,  and  do  business  in  New  York. 

Philadelphia  is  as  famous  for  manufacturing  as  New 
York  for  commerce.  It  has  more  than  three-fourths  of 
a  million  of  people. 

Baltimore  is  a  great  market  for  tobacco  and  grain. 

The  other  large  cities  are  Pittsburg,  Buffalo,  Wash- 
injjton,  Newark,  and  Jersey  City.  But  there  are  many 
fine  cities  of  smaller  size. 

Exercise.  —  (Open  books  to  map  of  Middle  Atlantic  States.) 
What  great  water  route  (p.  46)  crosses  New  York  ?  Where  does  it 
reach  the  coast?  What  cities  are  there  for  the  gardens  of  Long 
Island  and  New  »Jersey  to  supply?  Find  each  of  the  great  cities 
named  in  this  lesson.  What  have  you  read  about  the  first  four? 
About  the  next  three?  On  the  opposite  page  you  see  a  part  of 
Newark,  with  its  smoking  factory  chimneys.  Like  Pittsburg,  it  is 
a  famous  place  for  manufacturing.  Jersey  City  is  situated  like 
Brooklyn,  with  only  a  river  separating  it  from  New  York.  Find 
the  capital  of  each  State ;  of  the  United  States. 


XXVIL- REVIEW. 

XXV.  Name  the  Middle  Atlantic  States.  When  and  where 
were  the  first  settlements  in  these  States?  What  part  of  this 
region  is  mountainous?  Name  the  highest  mountains;  the  prin- 
cipal range.  Where  are  the  good  farming  lands  ?  Name  the  most 
important  rivers.  What  large  river  begins  in  Pennsylvania?  What 
State  has  most  lakes  ?     Describe  the  climate. 

XXVI.  What  are  the  chief  occupations  ?  Which  are  mostly 
farming  States?  What  do  they  raise?  What  States  form  the 
greatest  manufacturing  and  commercial  region  in  the  country? 
What  State  leads  in  these  occupations  ?  Li  mining  ?  What  great 
cities  are  there  in  these  States  ?  Which  two  are  largest  ?  What 
have  you  learned  about  New  York  ?  About  Philadelphia  ?  Brook- 
lyn ?    Baltimore  ?     Name  the  other  large  cities  in  these  States. 


224 


GEOGBAPHICAL   FlilMEE. 


XXVIII. -MAP  LESSON. 

Bound.  Locate. 

New  York.  Long  Island,  Adirondack  Mountains,  Catskill 

Mountains,  Hudson  River,  Albany,  New 
York  City,  Brooklyn,  Buffalo. 

Cape  May,  Delaware  River,  Trenton,  New^- 
ark,  Jersey  City. 

Alleghany  Mountains,  Blue  Ridge,  Susque- 
hanna River,  Ohio  River,  Harrisbukg, 
Philadelphia,  Pittsburg. 

Delaware  Bay,  Do^-ver,  Wilmington. 

Chesapeake  Bay,  Po-to'-mac  River,  An-nap'-o- 
Lis,  Baltimore. 

Blue    Ridge   Mountains,  James  River,  Rich'- 

MOND. 

Alleghany  Mountains,  Wheel^-ing. 
Washington. 


S'ew  Jersey. 
PeNN-S  YL-V  a'-ni-a  . 


Delaware. 
Ma'-ry-land. 

Vir-gin'-i-a. 

West  Virginia. 

DiST.  CO-LUM^-BI-A. 


How  would  you  go  by  water  from  Albany  to  Philadelphia? 
From  Philadelphia  to  Baltimore?  From  Baltimore  to  Washing- 
ton? From  New  York  to  Richmond?  From  Buffalo  to  New 
York?  Write  the  names  of  all  States,  mountains,  rivers,  and  cities 
learned  in  Lesson  XXVIII. 


XXIX. -COTTON-aRO WING  STATES. 
(Part  L,  Pages  33-35.) 

In  the  journey  down  the  Mississippi  we  saw  cotton  growing 
soon  after  passing  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio.  All  the  States 
lying  farther  south  than  this,  whether  in  the  Atlantic  Plain  or 
in  the  Central  Plain,  produce  cotton,  and  most  of  them  make 
it  their  principal  crop :  hence  all  of  them  together  are  often 
called  the  cotton  States,  Four  border  on  the  Atlantic,  four 
on  the  Gulf,  and  two  are  inland.  Those  on  the  coast  are 
commonly  called  the  South  Atlantic  States  and  QuJf  States » 


226 


GEOGBAPHICAL   PRIMER. 


There  are  ten  cotton-grrowing  States,  —  North  Caro- 
lina, South  Carolina,  Georgia,  Florida,  Alabama,  Missis- 
sippi, Louisiana,  Texas,  Tennessee,  and  Arkansas. 

The  surface  consists  mostly  of  plains  easy  to  cultivate 

and  very  productive.     The  Black  Mountains  in  North 

^-~^^_-_:r  "'  Carolina  are  the 

^;^^____  loftiest   part   of 

the  Appalachian 

system,    being 

about  a  mile  and 

a  quarter  high. 

The  streams 
which  flow  from 
the  mountains 
are  navigable 
through  the 
plains.  The 
Mississippi  and 
several  of  its 
tributaries  cross 
the  cotton  States,  connecting  them  with  States  farther 
inland. 

This  is  the  warmest  portion  of  the  United  States. 
The  winter  is  mild  everywhere,  and  the  southernmost 
parts  rarely  have  freezing  weather. 

Exercise.  —  (Open  books  to  map  of  South  Atlantic  and  Gulf 
States.)  Which  cotton  State  is  not  shown  on  this  map?  Find 
it  on  the  map  of  the  United  States.  Which  cotton  States  extend 
farthest  south?  Which  lie  farthest  north?  Find  the  States, 
mountains,  and  rivers  named  in  this  lesson.  Why  is  this  the 
warmest  part  of  the  United  States  ?  Bound  each  State,  and  name 
its  capital.  The  picture  shows  a  small  part  of  San  Antonio,  in 
Texas.     It  is  one  of  the  oldest  towns  in  America. 


Square  in  San   Antonio,   Tex. 


BUSINESS  AND   CITIES, 


227 


XXX.  -  BUSINESS  AND  CITIES. 
(Part  I.,  Pages  9,  10,  35,  36.) 

Ever  since  these  States  were  settled,  agriculture  has  been 
their  main  business,  —  until  recently  almost  the  only  one. 
This  is  not  strange,  because  the  level  surface  and  rich  soil 
make  cultivation  easy  and  crops  abundant ;  and  the  market, 
too,  is  sure,  for  the  climate  favors  the  growth  of  things 
needed  for  use  where  they  cannot  be  produced.  But  the 
cotton  States  have  stores  of  coal  and  iron  and  abundant 
water-power,  which  are  now  used  in  manufacturing,  espe- 
cially in  Georgia.  A  few  cities  owe  their  growth  to  their 
manufactures,  but  most  depend  on  the  cotton  trade  for 
business. 

Agriculture  is  the  main  business  of  the  cotton  States. 
Besides  the  great  cotton  crop,  rice  grows  on  low  lands 


Charleston,  S.C.,    Harbor. 


along  the  coast,  and  the  warmest  portions  produce  sugar 
and  tropical  fruits. 

Maniifactiiringr  increases  rapidly.     Iron  and  cotton 
manufacture's  take  the  lead. 


228  GEOGEAPHICAL   PRIMER. 


New  Orleans  is  the  only  great  city.  It  is  the  main 
centre  of  the  Mississippi  trade,  and  the  largest  cotton- 
market  in  the  world. 

Charleston,  Savannah,  Mobile,  Galveston,  and  Mem- 
phis are  cotton-markets.  Atlanta  has  extensive  iron- 
works, and  Augusta  has  cotton-mills. 

Exercise  —  (Open  books  to  map  of  South  Atlantic  and  Gulf 
States.)  In  what  part  of  our  country  can  these  States  sell  their 
cotton?  Why  is  not  cotton  raised  in  New  England?  The  coal 
and  iron  come  mainly  from  the  Blue  Ridge.  Which  States  would 
you  suppose  have  the  most  water-power?  Why?  Eind  the  cotton- 
markets  named  in  the  lesson ;  the  manufacturing  cities  ;  the  largest 
city  in  each  State.  (Galveston  is  the  largest  in  Texas.)  What 
have  you  read  about  New  Orleans?  Eind  the  capital  of  each 
State.  The  picture  on  p.  227  shows  you  a  part  of  Charleston 
harbor,  the  best  in  the  South  Atlantic  States.  The  cotton  States 
have  not  very  many  good  harbors  for  large  vessels. 


fcCp  Zi  S^  -'-90  ^'.O  RS^  r.   W^ 


l«l?    l^Air   1^^    -t<    Hi 


«  fi«a   i&liog   iSc   g^^   1-4 


Si  00  Ja  ^  ^  m  m  ^       ' 

.i       ."^S        «  ^     ^     I     Z     ^  ^ 

Iz;  C/2O  P^  <<;^h:5Eh<1H 


230  GEOGBAPHIGAL  PEIMEB. 


XXXII. -REVIEW. 

XXIX.  Name  the  cotton  States.  What  is  their  general  sur- 
face? What  mountains  in  this  region?  Name  the  principal 
range;  the  highest  part  of  the  Appalachian  system.  How  high 
are  the  Black  Mountains?  What  great  river  crosses  the  cotton 
States?    Describe  the  climate. 

XXX.  What  is  the  main  occupation  of  these  States  ?  The  chief 
crop  ?  What  else  is  raised  ?  What  other  business  is  now  impor- 
tant ?  What  kinds  of  manufactures  ?  How  many  great  cities  in 
the  cotton  States  ?  How  is  New  Orleans  important  ?  What  is  the 
business  of  the  other  cities  ?  Name  the  cotton  markets ;  the  manu- 
facturing cities. 

Write  about  the  country  in  the  southern  parts  of  the  Atlantic 
and  Central  Plains  (pp.  9,  35,  36).  Write  the  names  of  all  States, 
rivers,  mountains,  and  cities  learned  in  Lesson  XXXI. 


XXXIII.  -  CENTRAL  STATES. 
(Pabt  I.,  Pages  29-32,  47-50.) 

The  middle  and  northern  portion  of  the  Central  Plain  eon- 
tains  eleven  States,  which  are  together  called  the  Central 
States,  and  two  Territories.  Two  of  the  States  lie  in  the 
higher  prairies  west  of  the  Missouri :  Dakota  and  Indian 
Territory  border  these.  The  Central  States  have  access  to 
the  Gulf  by  the  Mississippi  and  its  tributaries ;  and  to  the 
Atlantic  by  the  Great  Lakes,  the  Erie  Canal,  and  the 
Hudson,  or  by  the  Great  Lakes  and  the  St.  Lawrence. 

The  Central  States  are  eleven,  —  Kentucky,  Ohio, 
Indiana,  Illinois,  Michigan,  Wisconsin,  Minnesota,  Iowa, 
Missouri,  Kansas,  and.  Nebraska. 

The  surface  consists  principally  of  very  fertile  plains, 


CENTRAL   STATES. 


231 


partly  rolling  and  partly  flat.     West  of  the  Mississippi 
most  of  the  country 
is  prairie-land. 

The  Mississippi 
river,  the  Missouri, 
and  the  Ohio  flow 
through  the  Cen- 
tral States.  The 
Great  Lakes  bor- 
der these  States, 
and  Minnesota  has 
many  small  lakes. 

At  the  extreme 
north  the  summer 
is  rather  short,  but 
hot  ;  the  winter 
long  and  very  cold. 
At  the  south  the 
summer  is  much 
longer,  and  the 
winter  i^  mild.  c^'^^g°  stock- Yard. 


ExEiicisi:.  —  (Open  books  to  map  of  Central  States.)  Which 
States  are  shown  here  ?  Which  great  lakes  ?  Which  great  lake  is 
wholly  in  the  Central  States  ?  In  what  State  is  most  of  Lake 
Michigan  ?  What  other  States  border  on  it  ?  What  States  bor- 
der on  Lake  Superior  ?  Huron  V  Erie  ?  Mississippi  Eiver  ?  Ohio 
Eiver  ?  What  river  do  you  see  on  the  western  boundary  of  !Minne- 
sota  ?  AVhere  (map  of  North  America)  does  this  stream  reach  the 
sea  ?  A  lake  feeding  the  ]\Iinnesota  almost  touches  one  feeding  the 
Red  River ;  where  do  its  waters  reach  the  sea  ?  Find  Minnesota 
River ;  Illinois ;  Cumberland ;  Des  Moines.  Bound  each  State, 
(map  of  the  United  States  for  Kansas  and  Nebraska).  Bound 
Dakota;  Indian  Territory.     Find  their  capitals. 


232 


GE'^CRAPRICAL   PRIMER, 


XXXIV. -BUSINESS  AND  CITIES. 
(Pakt  I.,  Pages  22,  33,  48.) 

The  Central  States  might  be  called  the  grain  farm  and 
pasture  of  the  Union  ;  for  grain-growing  and  stock-raising 
are  as  important  here  as  cotton-planting  farther  south.  The 
surface  and  soil  are  as  good  here  as  there  ;  but  the  crops  are 
different  on  account  of  the  climate.  This  region  has  in- 
creased very  rapidly  in  population  and  wealth,  and  has  large, 
rich  cities,  some  of  which  are  not  yet  fifty  years  old.  West  of 
the  Mississippi  there  are  not  people  enough  to  occupy  all  the 
fertile  land  ;  but  many  thousands  are  going  there  every  year. 


A  Grain   Elevator. 

Agriculture    is    the    main  business    of    the    Central 


REVIEW,  233 


Suites.  Wheat  and  corn  are  the  great  crops ;  but  to- 
bacco is  important  in  Kentucky  and  Missouri. 

Great  numbers  of  horses,  cattle,  sheep,  and  swine  are 
also  raised  here. 

Manufacturingr  is  fast  increasing.  It  consists  mostly 
of  flouring,  curing  and  packing  meat,  and  making  tools 
and  machinery  for  farming. 

Copper  is  mined  on  the  southern  shore  of  Lake  Su- 
perior, and  iron  and  lead  in  several  places. 

The  greatest  cities  are  Chicago,  St.  Louis,  and  Cin- 
cinnati. Next  come  Cleveland,  Louisville,  Detroit,  Mil- 
waukee, and  Indianapolis. 

Exercise.  —  (Open  books  to  map  of  Central  States.)  Find  each 
of  the  cities  named  in  the  lesson.  Which  are  on  the  Lakes  ?  On 
the  'Mississippi  ?  On  the  Ohio  ?  What  do  you  know  about  Chi- 
cago? St.  Louis?  Cincinnati?  What  tobacco  States  (p.  222) 
have  you  learned  of  farther  east  ?  Which  (p.  209)  grows  farther 
north  —  wheat,  or  corn  ?  Where  can  this  region  find  a  market  for 
its  meat  and  breadstuff  ?  (p.  118.)  Find  the  capital  of  each  State ; 
the  largest  city  in  each.  What  do  you  know  (p.  29)  about  Minne- 
apolis and  St.  Paul  ?  There  are  rapids  at  Louisville,  but  boats  go 
up  the  Ohio  all  the  way  to  Pittsburg :  how  do  you  suppose  they 
get  past  the  rapids  ?     (By  a  canal.) 


XXXV.  —  RE  VIE  Vi^. 

XXXIII.  N"ame  the  Central  States.  What  part  of  the  Central 
Plain  is  mostly  prairie-land?  What  great  streams  and  lakes  in 
this  region  ?  Which  great  lake  is  wholly  in  the  Central  States  ? 
Describe  the  climate.  AVhich  two  Territories  lie  in  the  Central 
Plain  ?     What  States  do  they  border  ? 

XXXIY.  What  is  the  great  business  of  the  Central  States? 
The  leading  crops  ?  Which  States  produce  tobacco  ?  AVhat  tobacco 
States  have  you  learned  of  farther  east?     Which  grows  farther 


234  GEOGBAPHICAL   PRIMEE. 


north  —  wheat,  or  corn?  What  manufacturing  is  done  in  the  Cen- 
tral States?  What  mining?  What  great  cities  in  the  Central 
States  ?  What  do  you  know  about  Chicago  ?  St.  Louis  ?  Cincin- 
nati ?  AVhich  cities  are  next  them  in  size  ?  Name  the  largest  city 
in  each  State. 


XXXVI. -MAP  LESSON. 

Bound.  Locate. 

Kentucky.  Cum'-ber-land  River,  Fuank'-fort,  LouMs-ville. 

Ohio.  Ohio  River,  Co-lum'-bus,  Cincinnati,  Clever-land. 

Indiana.  Wabash  River,  In-di-an-ap'-o-lis. 

Illinois.  Illinois  River,  Spkingfield,  Chicago. 

Michigan.  Lake  Michigan,  Mackinaw  Straits,  Lansing,  Detroit 

Wisconsin.  Wisconsin  River,  Mad'-i-son,  Mil-wauMvce. 

Minnesota.  Itasca  Lake,  Mississippi  River,  St.  Paul,  Minneapolis. 

Iowa.  Des  Moines  River  {de  moin'),  Des  Moines  (c'ty). 

Missouri.  Mis-sou^-ri  River,  Jefferson  City,  St.  Louis. 

Kansas.  (Map  of  United  States.)    To-pe'-ka,  Leav '-en-worth. 

Nebraska.  (Map    of    United    States.)     Platte    River,  Lincoln, 
0-ma-ha^ 

Write  the  names  of  all  the  states,  lakes,  rivers,  and  cities  learned 
in  Lesson  XXXVI. 


XXXVII.-THE  WESTERN  HIGHLANDS. 
(Part  L,  Pages  65-70.) 

In  some  respects,  this  is  the  most  remarkable  portion  of 
the  United  States.  The  highest  two  mountain-systems  are 
here ;  the  only  great  table-land  is  between  them  ;  and  the 
only  part  of  the  country  which  does  not  produce  useful  plants 
is  on  the  table-land.  Here,  too,  are  smoking  volcanoes, 
spouting  geysers,  and  canons  so  narrow  and  deep  that  the 
streams  at  the  bottom  of  them  cannot  be  used  cither  for 
driving  mill-wheels,  or  carrying  boats,  or  even  for  moistening 
the  soil. 


'i/^-^ 


t^  j)b  St. Joseph         ?^       \ 
Insas  City 


)Daytoni> 


rtf- 


..J       

(i^Terrejaaiite  I     l/^jncumati' 


COLUMBUS 


j^vansvi]]e 


,       02015 

'  Cairo  1 


}  I 


^KANSAS 


T     E  (  K     W     E     S 


Longitude 


236 


GEOGRAPHICAL  PBIMEB. 


The  Western  Highlands  contain  four  States  and  seven 
Territories.  They  are,  Colorado,  Nevada,  California, 
and  Oregon;  Washington,  Idaho,  Montana,  Wyoming, 
Utah,  Arizona,  and  New  Mexico. 

Much  of  the  surface  is  mountainous,  and  the  table- 
land barren.     But  there  are  good  lands  in  the  valleys 

among   the  mountains 
and  near  the  Pacific. 

The  highest  land  is 
Mount  Whitney,  near- 
ly three  miles  high. 

The  largest  lakes  are 
salt,  and  some  of  the 
longest  rivers  flow 
through  deep  canons, 
and  are  useless. 

The  climate  is  dry, 
except    near    the    Pa- 

An   Indian  Cannp-Fire.  clfic.        Thc   COast   lauds 

are  warmer  than  on  the  Atlantic  coast. 


Exercise.  — (Open  books  to  map  of  Pacific  States.)  Find  each 
State  and  Territory  r^med  in  the  map.  Which  are  crossed  by  the 
Rocky  Mountains  ;  Which  are  crossed  by  the  Sierra  N'evada  and 
Cascade  Mountains  ?  Bound  each  State  ;  each  Territory.  (Map  of 
the  United  States  for  the  most  easterly.)  Find  Missouri  River ; 
Yellowstone ;  Colorado ;  Columbia ;  Great  Salt  Lake. 

Find  Yellowstone  Park.  This  region,  about  three-fourths  as 
large  as  Connecticut,  contains  such  wonderful  canons  and  geysers, 
and  waterfalls,  and  lake  and  mountain  scenery,  that  the  government 
has  reserved  it  for  a  national  park.  The  geysers  are  singular 
springs,  that  every  little  while  throw  up  into  the  air  columns  of 
boiling-hot  water.  Write  about  the  appearance  of  the  table-land, 
and  what  grows  upon  it. 


BUSINESS  AND   CITIES. 


237 


XXXVIII. -BUSINESS  AND  CITIES. 
(Part  I.,  Pages  70-74.) 

You  remember  that  the  largest  part  of  this  vast  region  is 
unfit  for  most  kinds  of  business.  There  are  woods  and  pas- 
ture-lands among  and  around  the  Rocky  Mountains  ;  and  fine 
forests  grow  at  the  west  of  the  Sierra  system.  But  the  dry 
table-land  is  useless  except  where  the  surface  can  be  irri' 
gated.  This  is  done  by  leading  water  from  some  stream, 
through  artificial  channels,  and  distributing  it  over  the  ground 
where  it  is  needed.  Fine  farming  land  has  been  made  in 
this  way,  especially  in  Utah. 

The  highland  region  contains  few  people  except 
where  gold  and  silver  are  found,  and  in  the  wide  valleys 
of  California  and  Oregon.  There  is  gold  in  California, 
silver  in  Nevada,  and 
both  gold  and  silver 
in  Colorado,  and  at 
different  places  in  the 
Territories. 

California  has  vast 
cattle-ranches,  wheat- 
farms,  orchards,  and 
vineyards.  Oregon 
carries  on  wheat- 
farming,  wool -grow- 
ing,  lumbering,    and 

salmon-fishing.  California  Fruits. 

San  Francisco,  in  California,  is  the  only  great  city 
in  all  this  region;  but  there  are  several  smaller  ones 
which  are  growing  rapidly. 


238  GEOGBAPHICAL   PRIMER. 


Denver^  near  rich  silver  and  gold  mines  in  Colorado, 
is  the  largest  inland  city.  Salt  Lake  City  is  in  the  irri- 
gated lands  of  Utah ;  and  Virginia  City  in  the  richest 
silver  district  of  Nevada. 

Exercise.  —  (Open  books  to  map  of  Pacific  States.)  Find  San 
Francisco :  what  do  you  know  about  it  ?  Find  the  largest  city  in 
each  State ;  the  capital  of  each  State.  Find  Salt  Lake  City ;  the 
capitals  of  the  other  Territories.  Write  about  the  discovery  of 
gold  in  California. 

XXXIX. -MAP  LESSON. 

Bound.  Liocate. 

Okegon.  Cascade  Mountains,  Columbia  River,  Salem, 

Portland. 
Califok]^ia.  Sierra  Nevada,  Mount  Whitney,  Sac-ka-men^- 

TO,  San  Francisco,  Los  An'-gel-es. 
Ne-va'-I)A  (-vaW-),        Colorado  River,  Carson  City,  Virginia  City. 
Col-o-ra'-do  (-rah'-).   Rocky  Mountains,  Denver,  Leadville. 
U'-TAH.  Wah-satch'  Mountains,  Great  Salt  Lake,  Salt 

Lake  City. 
Washington.  Cape  Flattery,  Cascade  Mountains,  O-lym'-pia. 


XL. -REVIEW. 


XXXVII.  What  States  and  Territories  are  in  the  western  high- 
lands? What  kind  of  surf  ace  has  this  region  ?  What  large  barren 
district  ?  What  is  the  highest  land  in  the  United  States  ?  How 
high  is  Mount  Whitney?  What  is  peculiar  about  the  lakes  and 
streams  in  this  region?     Describe  the  climate. 

XXXVIII.  What  parts  of  this  region  have  most  people  ?  Where 
are  gold  and  silver  found  ?  What  pursuits  are  important  in  Cali- 
fornia ?  In  Oregon  ?  What  cities  in  this  region  ?  What  can  you 
say  about  San  Francisco  ?  Denver  ?  Salt  Lake  City  ?  Virginia 
City  ?    Name  the  capital  and  largest  city  of  each  State. 

XXXIX.  Write  the  names  of  the  States,  Territories,  moun- 
tains, rivers,  and  cities  learned  in  Lesson  XXXIX. 


PACIFIC  STATES 

AND 

TEERITOEIES. 

®  Capitals   o  Cities,  Towns 


Longitude 


"West        from 


240 


GEOGRAPHICAL  PBIMER. 


XLI.-COLD  GOUNTBIES   OF-^ORTH  AMERICA. 
(Part  I.,  Pages  52-56  aist®  75-78.) 

We  have  learned  that  the  part  of-  North  America  north  of 
our  country,  excepting  the  south- 
ern portions/ is  mostly  a  cold 
forest-land,  with  few  inhabitants 
but  Indians  ;  and  that  the  Arctic 
shores  are  too  cold  for  forests, 
and  have  no  people  but  Esqui- 
maux. All  this  region,  except 
Alaska,  belongs  to  Great  Britain. 
In  the  sea,  north-east  of  the 
continent,  are  Greenland  and  Ice- 
land, very  cold  islands.  These 
belong  to  Denmark,  and  are 
called  Danish  America.  Their 
people  came  originally  from  the 
cold  countries  of  Europe. 

All    of    the    continent     of ' 
North  America  north  of  the 
United    States,    excepting 
Alaska,  belongs  to  Great  Britain,  and  is  called  British 
America. 

Only  the  southern  part  of  British  America  is  inhab- 
ited by  civilized  men.  This  is  divided  into  several  prov- 
inces, which  together  form  the  Dominion  of  Canada. 
The  island  of  Newfoundland  is  a  separate  province. 

The  chief  ruler  of  the  Dominion  is  a  governor-gen- 
eral appointed  by  the  government  of  Great  Britain. 
Montreal  is  the  only  great  city  of  the  Dominion ;  but 


A   Fur-Trader. 


THE    WARM,   SOUTHERN   COUNTRIES,  241 


Quebec,  farther  down  the  river,  is  older.     The  capital 
is  Ottawa.     There  are  several  other  fine  cities. 

Exercise.  —  (Open  books  to  map  of  North  America.)  Find 
Greenland ;  Iceland ;  Alaska.  To  what  countries  do  they  belong? 
Find  British  America.  Find  three  great  rivers  in  British  America; 
three  large  lakes.  You  remember  Red  Kiver  on  the  western  boun- 
dary of  Minnesota  :  into  which  of  these  lakes  does  it  flow  ?  Find 
Montreal ;  Quebec.    Write  what  you  know  (pp.  53, 54)  about  them. 


XLII.-THB  WARM,    SOUTHERN  COUNTRIES. 
(Part  I.,  Pages  82-88.) 

We  know  that  the  countries  of  North  America  at  the  south 
of  us  are  as  much  warmer  than  ours,  as  those  north  of  us 
are  colder.  We  remember  the  hot  coast  lands,  with  their 
abundance  of  interesting  and  valuable  plants  ;  and  the  grad- 
ual change  as  the  land  rises,  until  in  the  high,  cool  interior, 
the  fields  and  forests  look  almost  like  our  own.  We  have 
read,  too,  of  terrific  volcanoes  in  these  countries,  and  of 
earthquakes  that  shake  down  people's  houses ;  and  have 
found  that,  after  all,  a  country  of  continual  summer  may  not 
be  the  pleasantest  place  in  the  world  to  live  in. 

South  of  the  United  States,  are  the  hot  countries  of 
Mexico^  Central  America^  and  the  West  Indies. 

Mexico  is  a  republic,  made  up  of  many  small  States, 
united  under  one  government.  Mexico  City,,  its  capital, 
is  on  a  high  table-land  in  the  interior. 

Central  America  consists  of  small  separate  republics 
of  not  much  importance. 

The  West  Indies  include  four  large  islands,  and  a 
great  number  of  very  small  ones.  Cuba  and  Hayti  are 
much  the  largest.    Cuba,  which  belongs  to  Spain  is  the 


242 


GEOGRAPHICAL  PUIMER. 


greatest  sugar  district  in  the  world, 
tal  and  largest  citj'. 


Havana  is  its  capi- 


ExERCiSE.  —  (Open  books  to  map  of  North  America.)  Find 
Mexico;  Central  America;  Cuba;  llayti.  What  line  passes  just 
north  of  Cuba  ?  In  what  zone  are  these  liot  countries?  In  what  zone 
is  the  northern  part  of  Mexico  ?  Do  you  suppose  this  part  to  be 
cooler,  or  w^armer,  than  the  southern?  Why?  What  small  islands 
of  the  AVest  Indies  lie  north  of  the  tropic  ?  The  little  one  farthest 
east  was  the  first  land  fomid  by  Columbus.  Its  name  is  San 
Salvador, 


XLin.-MAP  LESSON. 


Bound. 

North  Amekica. 
British  America. 
United  States. 
Mexico. 
Central  America. 

A-LAS^-KA. 

New^^-found-land. 

Cuba. 

Hay'-tl 


Locate. 

Greenland. 
Iceland. 

Ja-mai^-ca  {-ma^-). 
Hudson  Bay. 
Gulf  of  Mexico. 
Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence. 
Gulf  of  California. 
Car-ib-be'-an  Sea. 
Pan-a-ma'  Isthmus. 
{-mail') 


Montreal. 
Ot^-ta-wa. 
Washington. 
Chicago. 
Philadeljihia. 
New  York. 
San  Francisco. 
Mexico  (city). 
Ha-va^-na. 
{-mh'-) 


XLIV.  -  REVIEW. 

XLT.  What  is  Danish  America?  To  what  country  does  the 
northern  part  of  North  America  belong?  What  part  of  British 
America  is  peopled  by  civilized  men  ?  How  is  it  divided  ?  What 
island  forms  a  separate  province  ?  How  is  the  Dominion  governed  ? 
AVhat  is  the  capital?    Name  the  other  chief  cities. 

XLII.  What  countries  lie  south  of  the  United  States?  What  is 
Mexico?  What  and  where  is  its  capital?  Of  what  does  Central 
America  consist?  W^hat  do  the  West  Indies  include?  Name  the 
largest  two  islands.  What  is  interesting  about  Cuba?  What  is 
its  chief  city? 


SOUTH    AMERICA. 


XL V. -COUNTRIES  OP  THE  PLAINS. 
(Pabt  I.,  Pages  90-96,  102-107.) 

South  America  is  a  remarkable  continent.  It  has  the  high- 
est mountains  on  the  globe  excepting  the  Himalaya,  the  most 
extensive  forests  in  the  world,  and  vast  treeless  plains  that 
at  one  season  are  covered  with  the  richest  vegetation,  and  at 
another  are  parched  by  the  sun  and  swept  by  flames  until  they 
seem  like  a  desert.  It  lies  mainly  in  the  Torrid  Zone ;  yet 
even  here  the  valleys  between  the  Andes  have  the  temperature 
of  spring,  and  the  tops  bear  snow  throughout  the  year.  All 
the  South- American  countries  are  republics  excepting  Brazil, 
which  is  ruled  by  an  emperor.  Guiana  is  a  small  mountain- 
land  belonging  to  countries  in  Europe. 

The  hard  names  in  this  lesson  are  pronounced  thus  :  — 

Brah-zeeF,Yen-ez-weeMali,  Pah-rah-gwa^,  U-roo-gwa^,  Ar^-j en-tine, 
Ri'-o  Ja-nee^-ro,  Bo^-nus  A^-riz,  Ghe-ah^-nah. 

The  plains  of  South  America  contain  five  countries, 
—  Brazil,  Venezuela,  Paraguay,  Uruguay,  and  the  Ar- 
gentine Republic. 

Brazil  includes  the  larger  part  of  the  selvas,  and  has 
valuable  diamond  and  gold  districts.  There  are  few 
people  except  in  the  coast  regions. 

Agriculture  is  the  chief  pursuit,  and  coffee  the  prin- 

244 


COUNTBIES   OF  THE  PLAINS, 


245 


cipal  crop.      Rio  Janeiro,  the   capital,  is  tlic  greatest 
coffee-market  in  the  world.     BaUa  is  also  a  large  city. 

Venezuela,  the  Argentine  Kepublic,  Paraguay,  and 
Uruguay  contain  the  vast  llanotj,  pampas,  and  other  tree- 
less plains. 

Cattle-raising  is  the  main  business,  with  agriculture 
in  some  of  the  best 
districts. 

Buenos  Ayres^ 
and  Montevideo,  on 
the  La  Plata,  are 
the  only  large  cities 
in  these  four  coun- 
tries. They  are  fa- 
mous markets  for 
hides,  horns,  and 
tallow. 

Exercise  .  —  (Open 
books  to  map  of  South 
America.)  Find  Guia- 
na. What  is  it?  Bound 
each  of  the  countries  of 
the  plains.  Find  their 
capitals.  Which  of 
these  countries  is  the 
largest  ?  Which  are 
in  the  Torrid  Zone? 
In  what  zone  are  the 
others?  Which  part 
of  these  temperate  countries  is  warmest  ?  Why  ?  On  the  Amazon 
where  do  you  see  the  sun  at  noon  ?  In  our  country,  where  ?  In 
Uruguay,  where?  Why?  (One  must  always  look  toward  the 
Torrid  Zone  to  see  the  sun  at  noon.)  What  (p.  95)  are  the  selvas? 
What  (p.  102)  are  the  llanos?    What  (p.  105)  are  the  pampas? 


A  Brazilian  Plantation. 


24G 


GEOGRAPHICAL  PBIMEE, 


XL VI.  -  COUNTRIES  OF  THE  ANDES. 

(Part  L,  Pages  97-101.) 

You  remember  that  the  Andes  extend  along  the  whole 
western  coast  of  South  America,  shutting  off  from  the  Pacific 
all  the  rich  plains.  You  know  that  the  larger  part  is  a  great 
double  range,  with  a  long,  high,  wide  valley  between  the  tops. 
The  mountains  are  highest,  and  the  tops  of  the  two  ridges 
widest  apart,  in  the  middle  portion,  where  the  inner  valley 
contains  a  large  lake.  Here,  in  the  eastern  ridge,  is  the 
highest  land  in  America,  nearly  five  miles  high.  The  hard 
names  of  this  lesson  are  pronounced  on  p.  248. 


A  Bridge  in  the  Andes. 


The  countries  of  the  Andes  are  Columbia,  Ecuador, 
Peru,  Bolivia,  and  Chili.     All  but  Chili  extend  across 


REVIEW.  247 


the  mountains  into  the  selvas.  All  are  torrid  except 
Chili,  which  has  a  climate  similar  to  our  own. 

These  countries  all  have  rich  deposits  of  gold,  silver, 
and  copper;  but  Chili  is  the  only  one  which  attends 
much  to  iiiiniu^. 

In  the  four  torrid  countries  most  of  the  people  live 
in  the  valleys  among  the  Andes,  which  have  a  better 
climate  than  the  lowlands. 

Santiago^  the  capital  of  Chili,  and  Lima,  the  capital 
of  Peru,  are  the  largest  cities  on  the  west  side  of  the 
Andes. 

Exercise.  —  (Open  books  to  map  of  South  America.)  Name 
the  countries  of  the  Andes;  their  capitals.  Do  these  cities  seem 
to  be  among  the  mountains,  or  in  the  lowlands  ?  Why  do  people 
prefer  to  live  in  the  highlands  ?  Where  do  you  see  lakes  in  the 
wide  valley  ?  The  highest  mountains,  called  Nevada  de  Soi^afo,  lie 
east  of  that  largest  lake ;  what  capital  is  near  them  V 


XLVIL- REVIEW. 


XLV.  Name  the  countries  of  the  plains.  What  is  the  chief 
pursuit  in  Brazil?  The  principal  crop?  What  minerals  has  Bra- 
zil ?  What  part  is  most  peopled  ?  What  great  cities  has  Brazil  ? 
W^hat  do  you  know  about  Rio  Janeiro  ?  AVhat  is  the  chief  busi- 
ness of  the  other  countries  of  the  plains  ?  What  is  the  largest  city 
of  these  four  countries  ? 

XL VI.  What  countries  are  crossed  by  the  Andes?  Which 
one  is  on  the  west  side  ?  What  is  the  climate  of  these  countries  ? 
What  valuable  minerals  have  they?  In  which  one  is  most  attention 
given  to  mining  ?  What  is  the  best  part  of  the  torrid  countries  to 
live  in?  Why?  What  are  the  greatest  two  cities  on  the  Pacific 
side  of  the  moantains  ?  Where  and  how  high  is  the  highest  laud 
in  America? 


248  GEOGBAPIIICAL  PRIMEE, 


XLVIIL-MAP  LESSON. 

Bound.  Locate. 

Yen-ez-ue'-la.  Cape  Horn.  Mon-te-vid^-eo. 

Bra-zil^  Ter'-ra  del  Fu-e'-go.       Buenos  Ayres. 

Pa-iia-guay^  Andes  Mountains.         San-ti-a^-go  (-aW-), 

U-RU-GUAY^  Am'-a-zon  River.  Li^-ma. 

Ar^-g EN-TINE  Kep.  Pa-ra-na^  River  (-naW).  La  Paz  ilah). 

Ciii'-Li  [che'-le).  La  Pla'-ta  Eiver.  Qui'-to  {ke'-). 

Bo-Liv^-iA.  Orinoco  River.  Bo-go-ta'  {tali'). 

Pe-ru^  Ca-ra'-cas  {-rah'-).  Yal-pa-rai'-so  (-rV-). 

Ec^-UA-DOR  (wa).  Rio  Janeiro.  Ba-lii^-a  (-e'-). 

Co-LOM^-BiA.  A-sun^-cion.  Pa-ra'  {-rah'). 


XLIX.  — WESTERN  HEMISPHERE  (Examination). 

What  two  continents  in  the  Western  Hemisphere?  How  are 
they  connected ?  In  what  zone  is  most  of  North  America?  Most 
of  South  America  ?  What  part  of  North  America  is  in  the  Torrid 
Zone  ?  What  part  of  South  America  is  in  the  Temperate  Zone  ? 
Name  the  countries  of  North  America ;  of  South  America.  What 
parts  of  each  continent  belong  to  European  governments  ?  AVhich 
is  the  most  important  country  of  North  America?  Of  South  Amer- 
ica? What  is  the  government  of  the  United  States?  Of  Brazil? 
Of  all  the  other  independent  countries  of  the  New  World  ? 

Of  what  does  the  United  States  consist  ?  Name  the  States ;  the 
Territories ;  the  capital.  In  what  part  of  the  United  States  are 
manufacturing  and  commerce  most  important?  In  what  parts  is 
agriculture  the  great  business?  What  is  the  chief  crop  of  the 
South  Atlantic  and  Gulf  States  ?  Of  the  Central  ?  Where  are  coal 
and  iron  mined?  Gold  and  silver?  Copper?  Name  the  great 
cities  of  the  United  States, — naming,  in  New  England,  o?ie;  in 
the  Middle  Atlantic  States,  four;  in  the  cotton  States,  one;  in  the 
Central  States,  three ;  on  the  Pacific  coast,  one. 

Name  the  largest  city  in  the  Dominion  ;  in  Mexico ;  in  the  West 
Indies.  Name  the  largest  cities  of  South  America,  —  on  the  east- 
ern coast,  four  ;  on  the  western,  two.     In  what  country  is  each  ? 


'^c 

'4:% 


^4% 


J  B  B  E  AJN- 

C.Gall 


Sj^ 


® BOGOTA 
COLOMBIA    I 


rjTEIMDADI. 


^■^Pi 


1fei4«^- 


*tov^i« 


P^^^^ 


CAYENNE 


r 


w 
o 


SOUTH 
AMERICA 

©Capitals  o Cities, Towns 

/ 


Longitude   67  West  57  from  i7  Greenwich 


EUROPE. 


L.~THE  CONTINENT. 

Europe  lies  east  of  the  Atlantic,  opposite  the  northern 
half  of  North  America.  It  extends  only  about  as  far  south  as 
Cape  Hatteras.  One  would  suppose  that  the  climate  would 
be  like  that  of  the  regions  opposite  on  the  American  coast ; 
but  a  large  part  is  really  very  much  warmer.  Europe  is  the 
smallest  of  the  continents,  except  Australia  ;  and  has  a  coast 
more  broken  than  any  of  the  others.  The  whole  south- 
western part  is  like  a  great  peninsula,  lying  between  the 
Mediterranean  Sea  and  the  Atlantic.  The  countries  of  Eu- 
rope are  all  monarchies  except  France  and  Switzerland. 

Eastern  Europe  is  a  great  low  plain,  with  mountains 
only  on  its  borders.     The  longest  river  is  the  Volga. 

Western  Europe  consists  mostly  of  mountain-lands 
and  valleys,  with  small  plains  and  table-lands. 

The  Alps  are  the  hig-hest  mountains.  The  loftiest 
peak,  Mount  Blanc,  is  nearly  three  miles  high. 

The  Danube,  the  Rhine,  and  the  Rhone  are  the  prin- 
cipal rivers  of  Western  Europe. 

The  climate,  in  all  the  coast  countries,  is  much 
warmer  than  in  coast  regions  opposite  in  America. 
Eastern  Europe  is  cooler  than  Western  Europe. 

Exercise.  —  (Open  books  to  map  of  Europe,  p.  267.)  Name  the 
oceans  which  border  upon  Europe ;  the  seas  and  bays  along  the 
coast ;  a  cluster  of  islands  off  the  west  coast ;  four  islands  in  the 
Mediterranean.  Find  the  mountains  and  rivers  named  in  the  lesson. 
Nar^  the  countries  bordering  upon  the  Mediterranean ;  upon  the 
250 


THE  nmrisu  isles. 


251 


Atlantic ;  the  great  country  of  Eastern  Europe ;  the  small  countries 
which  touch  the  Black  Sea;  a  little  country  between  Italy  and  the 
German  Empire.  What  (p.  210)  is  a  republic?  AVhat  (p.  214) 
is  a  monarchy  ?  AVhat  is  the  only  monarchy  (p.  244)  you  found 
in  America  ? 


LI. -THE  BRITISH  ISLES* 
(Part  L,  Pages  113-121.) 

The  British  Isles  together  form  the  ''  United  Kingdom  of 
Great  Britain  and  Ireland."  The  government  has  great 
possessions  in  America,  Australia,  Asia,  and  other  parts  of 
the  world  ;  and  all  these  together  form  the  British  Empire, 
The  British  possessions  are  so  scattered  on  all  parts  of  the 
globe  that  people  often  say, 
'^  The  sun  never  sets  on  the 
British  flag,"  by  which  they 
mean,  that  there  is  never  a  time 
when  it  is  not  day  in  some  coun- 
try belonging  to  Great  Britain. 

Great  Britain  is  but  little 
larger  than  the  State  of  Min~ 
nesota,  yet  it  contains  more 
than  half  as  many  people  as 
the  United  States.  England 
is  the  richest  and  most  popu- 
lous part. 

Manufacturing  and  com- 
merce are  the  chief  occupa- 
tions, but  great  care  is  given 
to  farming.  The  leading 
manufactures  are  cotton,  woollen,  and  linen  goods,  and 
iron  and  steel  wares  of  every  sort. 


A  Scotch  Highlander. 


252  GEOGRAPHICAL  PRIMER. 


England  has  more  great  cities  than  any  other  country 
of  its  size. 

London  is  the  capital  of  the  British  Empire,  and  is 
the  largest  city  on  the  globe.  It  contains  nearly  four 
millions  of  people. 

liiverpool  is  the  great  seaport  of  northern  England. 

Manchester  is  the  leading  city  of  the  world  in  cotton 
manufactures,  and  Birniing-ham  in  iron-works. 

Leeds  is  celebrated  for  its  manufactures  of  wool. 

Glasgow,  in  Scotland,  is  famous  for  the  iron  steam- 
ships built  there  ;  and  Edinburgh  for  its  University. 

Dublin  is  the  most  important  city  in  Ireland. 

Exercise.  —  (Open  books  to  map  of  British  Isles.)  Name  the 
waters  which  separate  Great  Britain  from  the  Continent;  Ireland 
from  Great  Britain.  Name  the  different  parts  of  Great  Britain. 
Which  includes  the  largest  i)art  of  the  island  ?  Which  has  most 
of  the  great  cities?  Find  all  the  cities  named  in  the  lesson.  Head 
what  is  said  in  Part  I.  (pp.  IIG,  117)  about  London;  about  Man- 
chester and  Liverpool  (p.  118) ;  about  Edinburgh  (p.  120). 

There  are  other  large  cities  in  England,  about  which  you  will  like 
to  learn  at  another  time ;  and  there  are  smaller  ones  which  are 
very  interesting.  Find  Cambridge;  Oxford:  at  these  two  places 
are  the  old  and  celebrated  English  universities,  of  which  we  often 
hear.     There  is  also  a  famous  university  in  Ireland,  at  Dublin. 


LII.-MAP   LESSON. 

Bonnd.  liocate. 

England.        Strait  of  Dover,  Land's  End,  Wales,  Thames  {temz 

Kiver,  London,  Liverpool,  Manchester,   Bir'-min^ 

ham,  Leeds,  Cambridge,  Ox'-ford. 

Scotland.       Heb'-ri-des  Islands,  Glas'-gow,  EdMn-burgh  {hur-rU.) 

Ireland.         Cape  Clear,  St.  George's  Channel,  Dublin,  Bel-fast', 

Cork. 


1 — J^ 

ORKNEY     f? 


ISLANDS 


BRITISH 
ISLES 

firth  ®  Capitals  o  Cities,Towns 

Q 


^  T  lU  K  T  I  C 
O  C  E  A  K 


8  longitude East 


254 


GEOGBAPHICAL   PBIMEB, 


LIIL- FRANCE,  BELGIUM,  AND  HOLLAND. 
(Pabt  I.,  Pages  122-133.) 

These  are  among  the  most  famous  countries  of  Europe,  on 
account  of  the  great  number  of  people  they  contain,  their 
careful  farming,  and  the  immense  variety  of  rich  and  costly 
things  they  manufacture.  Belgium  contains  more  persons  to 
each  square  mile  of  territory  than  any  other  country  in  the 
world.     France  is  the  only  great  republic  in  Europe. 

France,  Belgium,  and  Holland  lie  on  the   coast  of 

Europe,  opposite  England. 

The  chief  pursuits  of  the 
people  are  agriculture,  man- 
ufacturing, and  commerce. 

Among  their  manufac- 
tures, are  velvets,  silks,  rib- 
bons, laces,  gloves,  jewelry, 
elegant  cloths,  carpets,  fur- 
niture, and  parlor -orna- 
ments. 

Paris  is  the  capital  of 
France,  and  is  the  largest 
city  on  the  Continent  of 
Europe. 

Marseille  is  the  principal 
seaport,  and  Lyon  is  cele- 
brated  for   its   silk   manu- 

A  Shepherd  of  the  Landes.  faCturCS. 

Brussels,  the  capital  of  Belgium,  is  famous  for  its 
laces  and  carpets. 


THE  NORTH  COUNTBIES.  255 


Amsterdam,  in  Holland,  has  a  very  extensive  com- 
merce. 

Exercise.  —  (Open  books  to  map  of  Europe,  p.  267.)  Find  the 
countries  named.  Bound  each.  Find  Paris.  What  have  you 
read  (p.  126)  about  it?  Turn  to  the  map  of  Central  Europe. 
Find  Mount  Blanc ;  Lyon ;  Marseille.  What  have  you  read 
(pp.  128,  129)  about  these  cities  ?  Find  Brussels ;  Amsterdam. 
Many  of  the  merchant-ships  that  come  to  Amsterdam  are  laden 
with  spices,  coffee,  medicines,  choice  woods,  and  other  things  from 
far-off  lands  in  the  Indies,  belonging  to  Holland. 

Which  of  these  three  countries  is  a  republic?  In  the  south- 
western part  of  France  is  a  plain  called  the  Landes,  where  the 
people  are  shepherds.  They  walk  on  stilts,  and  have  raised  seats 
so  as  to  be  able  to  overlook  their  flocks.  The  picture  on  the  oppo- 
site page  shows  you  one  of  the  shepherds,  resting  on  the  high  seat, 
and  knitting. 

LIV.-THB  NORTH  COUNTRIES. 
(Part  I.,  Pages  133,  134.) 

In  the  old  times  these  north  countries  were  famous  for  the 
courage  and  daring  of  the  people,  and  their  skill  as  sailors. 
The  leaders  were  often  called  sea-kings.  They  used  to  set 
out  with  their  followers,  and  make  voyages  along  the  coast ; 
and  when  they  found  an  inviting  region  they  would  attack 
and  often  conquer  it.  Thus  they  gained  possession  of  parts 
of  England  and  France,  and  other  territories  much  richer 
than  their  own.  Some  of  these  rovers  discovered  Iceland 
and  Greenland,  which  still  belong  to  Denmark  ;  and  it  is 
said  they  even  sailed  as  far  as  the  New  England  coast,  long 
before  the  time  of  Columbus. 

Denmark,  SAveden,  and  Norway  lie  on  the  coast 
farther  north  than  Holland.  All  taken  together  are 
)ften  called  the  Scandinavian  countries. 

NorAvay  and  most  of  Sweden  are  high,  mountainous 


256 


GEOGRAPHICAL   PRIMER. 


lands,  famous  for  their  forests  of  tall  pines  and  firs,  and 
their  iron  and  copper  ores. 

Denmark  is  a  low  country.  The  islands  are  the  best 
part  of  it. 

In  Norway  and  Sweden  many  people  are  employed  in 
the  fisheries,  the  forests,  and  the  mines;  but  in  Den- 
mark the  principal  occupation  is  farming. 

The  only  large  cities  of  the  Scandinavian  countries 
are  their  capitals. 

Copenliag-en,  the  capital  of  Denmark,  is  the  largest 
and  most  celebrated  of  all  the  Scandinavian  cities. 

Stocldiolm,  the  capital  of  Sweden,  is  a  beautiful  city, 

situated  on  a  cluster  of  islands. 

Exercise.  (Open 
books  to  map  of 
Central  Europe.) 
Find  Denmark. 
Where  are  the  isl- 
ands ?  Find  the 
capital :  how  is  it 
situated  ?  Turn  to 
the  map  of  Europe. 
Find  Sweden  and 
Xorway.  Find  the 
capital  of  Sweden. 
These  two  coun- 
tries have  the  same 
king,  but  each  has 
its  own  capital. 
Find  the  capital  of 
Norway.  What 
parallel  near  these 
two  cities  ?  Find 
where  this  parallel 
In  Stockholm.  crosses  North  Amer- 

ica.    What  sort  of  countiy  is  that  part  of  North  America  ? 


BEVIEW.—  THE  SUJS^NV  LANDS.  257 


LV.- REVIEW. 

L.  Where  is  Europe  ?  How  far  south  does  it  extend  ?  What 
is  remarkable  about  its  size?  Its  coast?  Describe  Eastern 
Europe;  Western  Europe.  What  are  the  highest  mountains  in 
Europe?  What,  and  how  high,  is  the  loftiest  peak?  Name  the 
chief  rivers  of  Western  Europe.     Describe  the  climate  of  Europe. 

LI.  Where  are  the  British  Isles  ?  JN'ame  the  two  great  islands. 
What  kingdom  do  they  form  ?  What  is  the  British  Empire  ?  How 
large  is  Great  Britain  ?  How  populous  ?  What  part  of  the  island 
is  most  important  ?  What  are  the  leading  kinds  of  business  ?  The 
principal  manufactures?  Name  the  great  cities.  W^hich  are  in 
England  ?     Which  in  Scotland  ?    W^hat  important  city  in  Ireland  ? 

LIII.  Where  are  France,  Belgium,  and  Holland  ?  What  are  the 
chief  pursuits  of  the  people  ?  Name  some  of  the  important  manu- 
factures. Name  the  largest  cities  of  France ;  an  important  city  in 
Belgium ;  in  Holland.  What  do  you  know  about  each  of  these 
cities  ?  What  distant  possessions  has  Holland  ?  What  is  the  gov- 
ernment of  France? 

LIV.  What  and  where  are  the  Scandinavian  countries?  Describe 
Norway  and  Sweden  ;  Denmark.  What  important  pursuits  in  these 
countries?  What  are  the  largest  Scandinavian  cities?  What  im- 
portant city  in  Norway  ?  AVrite  what  you  know  about  the  country 
in  France. 


LVL-THB  SUNNY  LANDS. 
(Pakt  I.,  Pages  135-145,  155-157.) 

Three  large  peninsulas  of  Europe  border  upon  the  Mediter- 
ranean, and  are  famous  for  their  fine  climate,  and  their  clear, 
sunny  skies.  Though  no  farther  south  than  the  middle  of 
the  United  States,  their  climate  and  many  important  pro- 
ductions are  more  like  those  of  Florida  and  Texas  than 
Virginia  and  Kentucky.  The  eastern  and  middle  peninsulas 
contained  the  first  civilized  nations  in  Europe,  — the  Grecians 


258 


GEOGRAPHICAL   PRIMER. 


and  Romans  ;  and  many  things  still  remain  there  which  show 
the  wealth  and  grandeur  of  those  ancient  states. 

The  peninsulas  of  Southern  Europe  contam  Spain 
and  Portugal,  Italy,  Greece,  and  European  Turkey. 

The  surface  in  many  parts  is  mountainous ;  but  these 
countries  have  some  of  the  most  fertile  valleys  and 
small  plains  in  Europe. 


A  Spanish  Peasant.  A  Greek. 

The  climate  is  delightful,  with  long  summers,  and 
short,  mild  winters. 

Agriculture  is  the  main  business.  Fruits,  wine,  and 
olive-oil  are  the  most  abundant  productions. 

Italy  and  Spain  contain  a  number  of  great  cities. 
The  largest  are  Naples,  Rome,  and  Milan,  in  Italy,  and 
Madrid,  the  capital  of  Spain.  Rome,  the  most  famous 
city  of  ancient  times,  is  the  capital  of  Italy. 


SWITZERLAND  AND   GERMANY. 


259 


Constantinople    is    the   capital    and    largest    city  of 
Turkey ;  Lisbon,  of  Portugal ;  and  Athens,  of  Greece. 
Venice  is  an  old  city,  built  on  a  cluster  of  islands. 

Exercise.  —  (Open  books  to  the 
map  of  Europe.)  Bound  the  countries 
named.  What  parallel  crosses  these 
countries  ?  Find  what  States  of  our 
country  are  crossed  by  this  parallel. 
The  peninsulas  of  Southern  Europe 
all  have  high  mountains  along  the 
northern  border,  shutting  off  the  cold 
north  winds :  besides,  they  are  near 
the  hot  countries  of  Africa,  with 
nothing  to  interrupt  the  warm  south 
winds.  That  is  one  reason  why  they 
are  so  much  wanner  than  the  middle 
of  our  country.  Find  the  cities 
named.  (Milan  is  on  the  map  of 
Central  Europe.)  In  what  country 
is  each  ?  Read  what  is  said  in  Part 
I.  about  Madrid  (p.  138),  Rome 
(142),  Venice  (143),  Naples  (144), 
Constantinople  and  Athens  (157). 


An  Italian  Peasant  Girl,  Spinning. 


LVII  -  SWITZERLAND   AND  GERMANY. 
(Part  I.,  Pages  145-153.) 

The  great  kingdom  of  Prussia,  the  smaller  kingdoms  of 
Saxony,  Bavaria,  and  Wurtemburg,  and  a  number  of  other 
little  states  in  the  middle  part  of  Europe,  are  all  peopled  by 
Germans.  In  1871  these  states  united,  forming  the  Empire 
of  Germany^  and  made  King  William  of  Prussia  their  em- 
peror. Germany  is  celebrated  for  its  schools  and  its  learned 
men,  and  for  the  treasures  of  painting  and  sculpture,  and 
other  interesting  things,  collected  in  the  cities. 


260 


GEOGRAPHICAL    PRTMER. 


Switzerland  is  a  small  republic,  situated  among  the 
highest  mountain-lands  of  Europe.  Geneva  is  its  most 
important  city.     Berne  is  its  capital. 

The  kingdom  of  Prussia  and  a  number  of  smaller 
states,  together  form  the  Empii-c  of  Germany. 


The  Fair  at  Leipzig. 

The  surface  of  Southern  Germany  is  mountainous 
but  the  northern  part  is  a  plain.  The  Rhine,  which 
flows  through  the  highlands,  is  the  most  famous  river. 

The  climate  is  cooler  than  on  the  coast  farther  west. 

Farming,  wool-growing,  and  manufacturing  are  the 
leading  occupations  of  the  Germans. 

The  largest  cities* are  Berlin,  Hamburg,  and  Breslau. 
Munich,  Dresden,  and  Leipzig  are  also  noted. 

Berlin,  the  capital  of  Prussia,  is  also  the  capital  of 
the  empire. 


THE  AUSTRIAN  EMPIRE, 


261 


Exercise.  —  (Open  books  to  map  of  Central  Europe.)  Find 
Switzerland:  what  famous  mountain  just  outside  of  it?  Find 
Geneva:  what  have  you  read  (p.  149)  about  it?  Find  Berne: 
what  is  it?  Bound  the  German  Empire.  Find  Berlin;  Munich: 
what  have  you  read  (pp.  152,  153)  about  each? 

Find  Hamburg  :  this  is  the  city  from  which  most  of  the  German 
emigrants  sail  for  America-  Find  Breslau :  this  is  the  greatest 
wool-market  in  Europe,  Find  Dresden  and  Leipzig.  Dresden  is 
celebrated  for  its  picture-galleries,  and  Leipzig  for  its  great  yearly 
fairs. 


LVin.-THE  AUSTRIAN  EMPIRE, 


(Part  I.,  Pages  154,  155.) 

The  leading  state  of  this  great  empire  is  Austria,,  sikiated 
in  the  western  highlands  south  of  the 
Danube.  Its  people  and  their  near 
neighbors  are  Germans.  The  other 
peoples  of  the  empire  speak  differ- 
ent languages,  and  are  very  unlike 
the  Austrians.  The  kingdom  of 
Hungary,,  in  the  middle  part,  is  the 
largest  division  of  the  empire.  The 
real  name  of  the  government  is  the 
Austro- Hungarian  Monarchy, 

The  Austrian  Empire  lies  in 
Central  Europe,  south-east  of  the 
German  Empire.  It  consists  of 
Austria,  Hungary,  and  a  number 
of    provinces,    united    under    an 

Austrian  emperor.  a  Hungarian  Gemleman. 

The  surface  of  Hungary  is  composed  largely  of  plainL. 


262  GEOGRAPHICAL   PEIMEB. 


The  other  parts  of  the  empire  are  generally  hilly  or 
mountainous.     The  Danube  is  the  greatest  river. 

The  climate  is  Avarmer  than  that  of  Germany. 

The  chief  pursuit  is  agriculture,  but  manufacturing 
and  mining  are  also  important.  Grain,  flax,  and  wine 
are  produced  in  the  rich  plains. 

The  greatest  cities  are  Vienna,  Buda-Pesth,  and 
Prague.     A^ienna  is  the  capital  of  the  empire. 

Exercise.  —  (Open  books  to  map  of  Europe.)  Bound  the  Aus- 
trian Empire  ;  find  its  capital.  What  have  you  read  (p.  154)  about 
Vienna?  Turn  to  the  map  of  Central  Europe,  and  fiiKl  another 
capital  in  this  empire  :  this  is  the  capital  of  Hungary.  The  Danube 
flows  through  it :  and,  only  a  few  years  ago,  the  parts  on  the  oppo- 
site sides  of  the  river  were  separate  cities,  named  Pesth  and  Buda ; 
but  now  they  are  united  into  one,  and  its  name  is  Buda-Pesth. 

Find  Prague  :  in  what  province  is  it?  Bohemia  was  once  a  king- 
dom, and  Prague  was  its  capital.  Find  a  city  directly  east  of  Prague. 
There  are  famous  salt-mines  near  Cracow.  In  the  mountains  be- 
tween Cracow  and  Vienna,  are  the  most  productive  gold  and  silver 
mines  in  Europe.  What  parts  of  Italy  and  France  are  shown  in 
this  map?     Where  will  you  find  the  rest?     (On  map  of  Europe.) 


LIX.-MAP  LESSON. 

Bonnd.  I.ocate. 

German  Empire.  Rhine  River,  Ber'-lin,  Bres^-]au,  Hamburg, 
Dres^-den,  Leip'-zig,  Munich. 

Austrian  Empire.  Alps  Mountains,  Danube  River,  Vienna,  Bu'- 
da-Pesth',  Prague. 

Switzerland.  Alps  Mountains,  Geneva,  Berne. 

Holland.  Rhine  River,  The  Hague  [hag),  Amsterdam. 

Belgium.  Brus^sels. 

Denmark.  Co-pen-ha^-gen. 

Italy.  Alps  Mts.,  Po  River,  MiFan,  Venice. 

France.  Mount  Blanc,  Rhone  River,  Lyon. 


Longitude 


264 


GEOGBAPHICAL  PRIMEB,. 


LX.  — RUSSIA  AND  ROUMANIA. 

(Part  I.,  Pages  158,  159.) 

Russia  and  the  little  kingdom  of  Roumania  lie  in  the  great 
plain  of  Eastern  Europe.  We  have  already  noticed  the 
frozen  lands  on  the  Arctic  shores,  the  vast  country  south 
of  them,  and  the  smaller  forests  among  cultivated  lands  that 
fill  the  middle  portion  of  Russia.     In  the  south,  west  of  the 


A  Friendly  Chat. 

river  Don,  are  rich  prairies,  almost  like  those  of  the  Missis- 
sippi. Towards  the  Caspian,  the  land  is  poor,  and  the  best 
parts  are  only  pasture-grounds.  In  some  respects  they  are 
much  like  the  pampas  of  South  America.  The  Cossacks, 
who  live  here,  raise  herds  of  horses  and  cattle,  and  are  about 
as  daring  riders  as  the  Gauchos. 


HE  VIEW.  265 


Russia  fills  nearly  all  the  great  plain  of  Eastern 
Europe.  The  northern  part  is  very  cold,  and  is  mostly 
a  forest  region. 

The  settled  portions  of  Russia  are  principally  in  the 
middle  and  south-western  parts,  where  the  climate  is 
moderate,  and  there  are  rich  farming  lands. 

The  great  business  of  the  people  is  farming  and 
stock-raising.  Fine  crops  of  wheat  and  flax,  and  large 
herds  of  horses  and  cattle,  are  raised. 

The  largest  cities  are  St.  Petersburg  and  Moscow. 
St.  Petersburg  is  the  capital. 

Roumania  is  a  small  kingdom  in  the  plains  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Danube.  It  contains  rich  wheat  lands, 
and  is  a  farming  country,     Bukharest  is  its  capital. 

Exercise.  —  (Open  hooks  to  the  map  of  Europe.)  Bound  Rus- 
sia. Find  St.  Petersburg:  what  have  you  read  (p.  159)  about  it? 
Find  Moscow :  this  was  the  capital  before  St.  Petersburg  was  built. 
The  Russians  are  a  sociable  people,  fond  of  meeting  and  chatting 
together.  The  picture  shows  a  little  group  who  seem  to  be  having 
a  fine  time.  One  of  them,  you  see,  is  a  wandering  musician,  with 
his  instrument  on  his  shoulders,  and  staff  in  his  hand.  I  wonder 
what  sort  of  music  he  can  make. 

Find  Roumania.  What  countries  are  its  neighbors  ?  To  what 
country  (p.  155)  did  Roumania  and  the  little  States  south  of  the 
Danube  once  belong  ? 


LXL- REVIEW'. 

LVI.  What  countries  of  Europe  are  in  the  southern  peninsulas  V 
Describe  their  surface ;  their  climate ;  the  chief  occupations  and 
productions.  Name  the  largest  cities  of  the  southern  countries. 
Name  the  capital  of  each  of  these  countries. 

LYII.  W^hat  and  where  is  Switzerland?  Its  most  important 
city  ?     What  do  you  know  about  Geneva  ?     What  is  the  capital  of 


266  GEOGRAPHICAL   PRIMER. 


Switzerland?  What  forms  the  Empire  of  Germany?  Describe  the 
surface.  J^ame  the  chief  river.  Describe  the  climate.  What  is 
the  chief  pursuit  of  the  people  ?  Name  the  tKree  principal  cities. 
What  three  others  are  interesting  ?  What  makes  them  so  ?  What 
is  the  capital  of  the  German  Empire  ? 

LVIII.  Where  is  the  Austrian  Empire  ?  Of  what  does  it  consist? 
What  is  the  surface?  The  climate?  The  chief  pursuit  of  the 
people  ?  Name  some  of  the  chief  crops ;  the  largest  three  cities. 
What  is  the  capital  of  the  empire?  What  is  the  new  name  of  the 
government  ? 

LX.  What  countries  lie  in  the  plains  of  Eastern  Europe? 
Where  is  Russia  ?  What  are  the  most  settled  portions  ?  Why  are 
these  better  to  live  in  than  the  northern?  What  is  the  chief  pur- 
suit? What  do  the  farms  produce?  Name  the  two  chief  cities. 
Tell  something  about  each.    What  and  where  is  Koumania? 


PU 


'-A 


S 


:j  H      g   .  .         i  i  ^ 

.        S  S  g  5         I  I  ^  V  J  S  1  g  §  g  S  3 

•^  w!         S?  .  -?       -1-1  .         f-< 


H 


C« 


)^ 

^ 

< 

o 

in 

^ 

q 

>^ 

^ 

tf 

K 

w 

n 

< 

W 

^ 

^ 

W 

> 

^  I  ^   ^         4^  1^  -   S  :t   ..  I  ?  ^  .)^  ^ 


r^     ^  ?,      ^     ^     .j!    ^S     i'    ^    4     .S:^     ^     ? 

^    -r.    tI 


ill      i  i  -s  ^z  ^  -3  ^  ^^  5  =  •'^  s 


AFRICA. 


LXIII. -NORTHERN  AFRICA. 
(Part  L,  Pages  160-164.) 

Africa  is  the  largest  continent,  except  Asia ;  but  it  con- 
tains neither  great  arms  of  the  sea  nor  peninsulas,  and  has 
no  vast  systems  of  high  mountains.  In  the  northern  part,  is 
the  greatest  rainless  region  on  the  globe  ;  but  in  the  middle 
portion,  are  fresh- water  lakes  and  rivers  which  are  among  the 
largest  in  the  world. 


A  Camel  and  his  Driver. 

Northern  Africa  includes  the  Sahara,  northern  Egypt, 
and  the  Barbary  States.  The  native  inhabitants  are  of 
the  white  race. 

The  Sahara  is  a  rainless  region,  but  contains  many 
fertile  oases,    Fezzan  is  a  group  of  the  largest  ones. 

268 


MIDDLE  AND   SOUTUERN  AFRICA. 


269 


The 


Egypt  is  the  most  important  country  in  Africa. 
"Nile  Valley    has   always   been 
famous  for  its  abundant  grain- 
crops.     Cairo  is  the  capital. 

The  Barbary  States  are  the 
fertile  countries  north  of  the 
Sahara.  Algeria  belongs  to 
France. 

Exercise.  —  (Open  books  to  map 
of  Africa.)  Find  the  Atlas  Moun- 
tains ;  the  Isthmus  of  Suez.  A 
ship-canal  crosses  this  isthmus :  what 
waters  does  it  connect?  Find  the 
Barbary  States;  Egypt;  their  capi- 
tals. Algeria  used  to  belong  to  Tur- 
key, and  the  governor  was  called  the 
'' Deij  of  Algiers."   What  (p.  160)  are 

the  oases  V      Find  Fezzan.  The  Dey  of  Algiers,  and  Attendants. 


LXIV.  — MIDDLE  AND  SOUTHERN  AFRICA. 
(Part  L,  Pages  165,  166.) 

In  Middle  Africa,  are  wonderful  forests,  vast  treeless 
plains,  and  immense  marshes,  with  many  of  the  largest  ani- 
mals in  the  world.  Many  of  the  trees  and  smaller  plants  yield 
food  for  the  savage  tribes  ;  and  a  great  number  furnish  gums, 
oils,  and  other  valuable  articles.  The  plumes  of  the  ostrich 
and  the  ivory  tusks  of  the  elephant  are  also  of  great  value. 

Middle  Africa  is  the  land  of  the  negroes,  and  most 
of  the  tribes  are  savages.  There  are  a  very  few  white 
men,  at  trading-posts  or  mission-stations. 

Soutliern  Africa  contains  many  British  and  Dutch 
colonists. 


270 


GEOGRAPHICAL   PBIMEB. 


Cape  Colony  is  the  most  important  British  possession 
in  Africa.  It  has  fertile  lands  on  the  coast,  fine  pas- 
ture-grounds farther  inland,  and  rich  diamond-fields 
near  the  northern  border.     Cape  Town  is  the  capital. 


A  Mode  of  Travelling  in  Central  Africa. 

Exercise. —  (Open  books  to  map  of  Africa.)     Find  Cape  Col- 
ony ;  Cape  Town ;  four  large  rivers  in  Africa ;  two  large  lakes. 


LXV.-MAP  LESSON. 

Bound. 

Liocate. 

Egypt. 

Cape  Good  Hope.     Gulf  of  Guinea. 

Congo  River. 

Algeria. 

Isthmus  of  Suez.      Atlas  Mountains. 

Cairo. 

Makocco. 

Madagascar.              Yictoria  Lake. 

Algiers. 

Tripoli. 

Mediterranean  Sea.  Nile  Kiver. 

Cape  Town. 

Cape  Colony 

Red  Sea.                    Niger  River. 

Fez. 

Longitude  "West     0 


Longitude     20       JEast     from       AO       Greenwich 


ASIA. 


LXVI.  — NORTHERN  AND  "WESTERN  ASIA. 
(Part  I.,  Pages  167-170,  and  179.) 

The  Russians,  who  possess  the  whole  of  Eastern  Europe, 
rule  over  all  of  Northern  Asia.     The  northernmost  portion 

is  called  Siberia^  and  the  south- 
western, Russian  Turkestan, 
These  possessions  and  Russia 
itself  together  form  the  Bus- 
sian  Empire, 

South-east  of  the  Aral  Sea 
are  three  small  independent 
countries.  Their  people  are 
mostly  wandering  herdsmen, 
but  there  are  cultivated  lands 
and  cities  in  the  best  parts. 

Northern  Asia  forms  part 
of  the  Russian  Empire,  but 
does  not  contain  a  large 
population.  Siberia  is  very 
cold,  except  in  the  southern 
part.  Russian  Turkestan  has 
hot  summers,  but  very  cold 

winters ;  and  a  large  part  is  quite  dry. 

There  are  rich  lands  in  the  eastern  part  of  Russian 

Turkestan,  and  albo  in  the  southern  part  of  Siberia. 

272 


At  Home  in  Turkestan. 


TUB  INDIES,  273 


Turkey,  Persia,  and  Arabia  contain  vast  dry  regions, 
with  only  wandering  herdsmen  for  inhabitants ;  but  they 
have,  also,  some  of  the  most  fertile  lands  in  Asia. 

All  of  these  three  countries  produce  fruits,  drugs, 
and  perfumeries ;  and  Arabia  yields  coffee  and  spices. 

Turkey  is  part  of  the  Turkish  Empire,  with  its  capi- 
tal at  Constantinople,  in  Europe. 

Persia  is  a  kingdom,  and  Teheran  is  its  capital. 

Exercise.  —  (Open  books  to  the  map  of  Asia.)  Find  Siberia. 
Find  Russian  Turkestan ;  a  body  of  water  within  it.  Find  three 
countries  south-east  of  the  Aral.  Find  Persia;  Turkey;  Arabia. 
AVhat  interesting  places  in  Turkey  (pp.  167,  168)  did  you  read 
about?    Find  Ispahan  :  what  have  you  read  (p.  170)  about  it? 


LXVII.-THE   INDIES. 

(Part  L,  Pages  171,  172.) 

We  have  already  seen  what  a  wonderful  region  this  part 
of  Asia  is.  Long  ago,  w^ieu  the  sea-going  peoples  of  Europe 
were  each  trying  to  gain  as  much  as  possible  of  the  wealth 
of  the  Indies,  they  began  to  establish  trading-stations  on  the 
coasts  of  the  peninsulas  and  the  islands.  Little  by  little,  and 
in  various  ways,  they  have  increased  their  territories,  until 
now  the  larger  part  of  the  Indies  belongs  to  them.  But  most 
of  the  eastern  peninsula  is  still  ruled  by  native  peoples. 

The  Indies  include  two  great  peninsulas  and  a  large 
group  of  islands  at  the  south-east  of  Asia. 

The  climate  is  hot,  with  abundance  of  rain. 

Rare  woods,  spices,  ivory,  and  precious  stones  are 
part  of  the  natural  wealth.  The  cultivated  productions 
are  coffee,  sugar,  indigo,  rice,  cotton,  and  opium. 


274  GEOGRAPHICAL   PRIMER. 


Great  Britain  controls  the  whole  of  the  western  pen- 
insula, Ceylon,  and  the  west  shore  of  the  eastern  penin- 
sula.    Calcutta  is  the  capital  of  British  India. 

France  has  a  small  territory  in  the  eastern  peninsula, 
south  of  Anam. 

Spain  possesses  the  Philippine  Islands. 

Holland  controls  the  other  islands,  large  and  smalL 
excepting  parts  of  Borneo  and  New  Guinea. 


A  Hindoo  Jeweller. 

Exercise.  —  (Open  books  to  the  map  of  Asia.)  Fhid  India. 
What  great  river  has  it?  What  have  you  read  (p.  172)  about  the 
plains  of  the  Ganges  ?  Find  a  city  at  the  mouth  of  the  Ganges. 
What  do  you  know  about  it?  Find  Anam.  The  French  territory 
is  named  Cochin  China :  have  you  ever  heard  this  name  ?  Find  the 
islands  which  belong  to  Spain.  Name  four  other  large  islands. 
What  line  crosses  two  of  them  ?  Which  islands  are  wholly  south 
of  the  Equator  ? 

The  native  islanders  are  of  the  brown  race.  The  native  people 
on  the  plains  of  the  Ganges  are  called  Hindoos.  You  know  what 
skilful  workmen  they  are.  In  the  picture  you  see  a  Hindoo  jewel- 
ler at  his  work,  with  his  little  box  of  tools  and  materials  beside 
him.     Would  you  think  he  could  do  fine  work? 


THE  EMPIRES   OF  CHINA   AND  JAPAN.         275 


LXVIII.-THB  EMPIRES  OP  CHINA  AND  JAPAN. 

(Part  L,  Pages  173-178.) 

The  Chinese  Empire  is  not  nearly  so  large  as  the  Russian 
Empire,  but  it  contains  about  three  times  as  many  people. 
The  rich  plains  along  the  rivers  in  China  are  the  most  popu- 
lous part.  If  China  could  be  laid  down  on  North  America,  it 
would  stretch  from  Cape  Hatteras  to  Kansas,  and  from  Lake 
Ontario  to  the  island  of  Hayti. 

The  Japanese  Empire  consists 
of  a  cluster  of  islands,  somewhat 
larger  than  the  British  Isles. 
They  lie  opposite  our  country, 
extending  as  far  north  and  south 
as  the  whole  length  of  California 
and  Oregon.  The  people  of 
both  empires  belong  to  the  yel- 
low race. 

The  Chinese  Empire  occu- 
pies the  larger  part  of  Middle 
and  Eastern  Asia.  The  capital 
is  Peking,  in  China. 

The  climate  of  China  is  like 

that  of  the  eastern  half  of  the  a  chhese  s^mTster. 

United  States. 

The  most  famous  prodvietions  are  tea,  silks,  porce- 
lain, and  curious  carvings  in  ivory  and  wood. 

The  Japanese  Empire  consists  wholly  of  islands. 
Tokio  is  its  capital. 

The  climate  is  like  that  of  our  Atlantic  States.  The 
productions  are  much  like  those  of  China. 


276 


GEOGRAPHICAL   PRIMER. 


The    Chinese    and   Japanese  are  more   advanced  in 
civilization  than  any  other  nations  of  their  race. 


A  Japanese  Restaurant. 

Exercise.  —  (Open  books  to  the  map  of  Asia.)  Find  China; 
the  Himalaya  Mountains ;  Thibet ;  Mongolia.  What  have  you  read 
(pp.  176-178)  about  each  ?  Find  Peking :  Canton.  What  have  you 
read  (p.  175)  about  these  cities  ?  Find  the  Japanese  Islands ;  the 
name  of  the  largest ;  an  important  city  in  Nippon. 


o 
m 
m 

<! 


l-H 


cC 

In 

< 

s 

s 

•-5 

i 

J 

3:) 

3 

CO 

to 

c3 

?3 
0) 

1 

i 

fc/D 

q 

to 

1:2 
o 

V 

'C 

(—1 

^ 

<1 

< 

o 

o 

H 

ki 

w 

H 

Ph 

O 

o 

u 

0 

5 

^ 

l-H 

In 

g 
e 

^ 

00 

< 

CO 

3 

i 

'p. 

IT 

o 

1 

1 

c3 

o 

pq 

fcD 

K 
D 

;h 

3 

1 

o 

o 

C 

>5 

2 

H 

Ps 

< 

CC 

H 

Ph 

^ 

;?; 

PQ 

cc 

•-5 

O 

p:^ 

s 

AUSTRALIA. 


LXX.- AUSTRALIA   AND   THE   PACIFIC. 
(Part  I.,  Pages  180-183.) 

We  have  noticed  in  the  Pacific  Ocean  great  numbers  ol 
small  islands.     Some  are  only  groups  of  volcanoes  with  a 


Australian  Scenes. 

strip  of  coast  land  around  them.     These  are  volcanic  islands. 
The  Sandwich  Islands,  about  midway  between  Mexico  and 

278 


BEVIEW.  279 


China,  are  the  most  famous  of  this  class.  Other  islands  are 
low  and  flat ;  some  being  only  rings  of  land,  like  Whitsunday, 
These  are  coral  islands  ;  that  is,  the  soil  is  formed,  and  the 
plants  are  growing,  on  the  top  of  a  bank  of  coral. 

Australia,  the  smallest  of  the  continents,  belongs  to 
Great  Britain.  The  south-eastern  part  is  best  known, 
and  contains  most  of  the  white  inhabitants. 

Low  mountains,  rich  in  gold,  border  the  coast ;  and 
rivers  flow  from  them  westward  through  fertile  plains. 

Gold-mining  is  the  chief  occupation  of  the  people, 
but  wool-growing  and  cattle-raising  are  important. 

The  white  inhabitants  are  mostly  from  Great  Britain. 
As  yet  they  are  fewer  in  number  than  the  population 
of  New  York  State.     The  natives  are  black. 

Exercise.  —  (Open  books  to  the  map  of  Eastern  Hemisphere.) 
Find  Australia:  on  which  side  of  the  Equator  is  it?  What  are 
some  of  the  strange  things  (p.  181)  one  may  see  in  Australia? 


LXXL— REVIEW^. 

LXIIT.  What  countries  are  in  Northern  Africa?  Of  what  race 
are  the  native  people  ?  W^hat  is  the  Sahara  ?  Egypt  ?  Name  the 
Barbary  States.     Which  belongs  to  France  ? 

LXiy.  Who  are  the  people  of  Middle  Africa?  What  useful 
things  come  from  Middle  Africa?  AVhat  white  colonists  are  in 
South  Africa?     What  does  Cape  Colony  contain  that  is  valuable? 

LXVI.  To  what  countiy  does  Northern  Asia  belong  ?  What 
three  important  countries  in  Western  Asia?  What  sort  of  coun- 
tries are  they?  What  do  they  produce?  Of  what  empire  is 
Turkey  a  part  ?     What  is  its  capital  ?    What  is  Persia  ? 

LXVII.  What  do  the  Indies  include?  AVhat  is  the  climate? 
What  are  the  productions  ?  What  part  of  the  Indies  belongs  to 
Great  Britain?    To  France?    To  Spain?    To  Holland? 


280  GEOGRAPHICAL   PRIMER. 


LXVIII.  Where  is  the  Chmese  Empire  ?  What  is  the  capital  ? 
What  is  the  climate  of  China  ?  What  are  the  leading  productions  ? 
Wliat  forms  the  Empire  of  Japan  ?  What  is  its  capital  ?  Of  what 
race  are  the  Chinese  and  Japanese  ? 

LXX.  To  whom  does  Australia  belong?  W^hat  part  is  best 
known  ?  Describe  that  part.  What  are  the  pursuits  of  the  white 
inhabitants?  Where  did  they  come  from?  How  great  is  the 
number  of  them  ?    Of  what  color  are  the  natives  ? 


LXXII.- EASTERN  HEMISPHERE  (Examination). 

What  kingdom  do  the  British  Isles  form  ?  Of  what  does  the 
British  Empire  consist  ?  What  European  countries  border  on  the 
Atlantic  ?  What  is  the  government  of  France  ?  What  small  repub- 
lic in  Central  Europe?  What  European  countries  border  on  tiie 
Mediterranean  ?  What  two  empires  in  Central  Europe  ?  What 
great  country  in  Eastern  Europe  ?  Where  is  the  rest  of  the  Rus- 
sian Empire  ? 

What  high  mountains  in  Europe  ?  Name  the  highest  peak  in 
Europe.  Name  four  important  rivers  in  Europe.  In  what  country 
is  London  ?  Paris  ?  Berlin  ?  Vienna  ?  Constantinople  ?  Naples  ? 
Liverpool?  Glasgow?  Manchester?  Edinburgh?  Lyon?  Madrid? 
Lisbon?  Marseille?  Dublin?  Munich?  Rome?  Athens?  St. 
Petersburg?     Moscow?     ^lilan?     Bukharest? 

What  three  important  countries  in  W^estern  Asia?  What  great 
empire  in  Middle  and  Eastern  Asia?  Where  is  the  Japanese 
Empire  ?  What  important  articles  come  from  China  and  Japan  ? 
Of  what  do  the  Indies  consist?  What  four  European  countries 
control  the  Indies  ?  What  valuable  things  come  from  the  Indies  ? 
In  what  country  is  Peking?    Tokio?    Canton?    Calcutta? 

What  countries  are  in  Northern  Africa?  Where  is  Cairo  ?  Al- 
giers? What  race  occupies  Middle  Afriqa?  What  valuable  things 
come  from  Middle  Africa?  What  is  the  principal  country  in  South 
Africa?  What  precious  things  come  from  there?  What  impor- 
tant town  in  South  Africa?  To  what  country  does  Australia 
belong?     Wlmt  does  it  produce ? 


TABLES. 


Popnlation  of  tliG  Princi 

UNITED  STATES. 
NEW  ENGLAND. 

Boston,  Mass 362,532 

Providence,  R.I 104,850 

New  Haven,  Conn • .  02,882 

Lowell,  Mass 59,485 

Worcester,  Mass 58,295 

Cambridge,  Mass 52,740 

Fall  River,  Mass 49,000 

Hartford,  Conn 42,553 

Lawrence,  Mass 39,178 

Lynn,  Mass 38,281 

Portland,  Me 33,810 

Springfield,  Mass 33,340 

Manchester,  N.H 32,633 

Rutland,  Vt 12,149 

MIDDLE  ATLANTIC  STATES. 

New  York,  N.Y 1,206,590 

Philadelphia,  Penn 846,934 

Brooklyn,  N.Y 566,689 

Baltimore,  Md 332,190 

Pittsburg,  Penn 156,381 

Buffalo,  N.Y 155,137 

Washington,  D.C 147,307 

Newark,  N.J 136,400 

Jersey  City,  N.J 120,728 

Albany,  N.Y 90  903 

Rochester,  N.Y 89,363 

Alleghany  City,  Penn.      .    .  78,081 

Richmond,  Va 63,803 

Troy,  N.Y 56,747 

Syracuse,  N.Y 51,791 

Paterson,  N.J 50,887 

Wilmington,  Del.  .....  42,499 

Wheeling,  W.  Va 31,216 

SOUTH  ATLANTIC  STATES. 

Charleston,  S.C 50,000 

Atlanta,  Ga 37,398 

Savannah,  Ga 30,681 

Augusta,  Ga 23,023 

Wilmington,  N.C 17,301 

Jacksonville,  Fla 14,500 

GULF  STATES. 

New  Orleans,  La 216,140 

Mobile,  Ala 31,205 

Galveston,  Tex 22,253 

San  Antonio,  Tex 20,561 

VicKSBURG,  Miss 11,814 

CENTRAL  STATES. 

Chicago,  III 503,304 

St.  Louis,  Mo 350,522 

Cincinnati,  O 255,700 

Cleveland,  O 160,142 

Louisville,  Ky 123,615 

Detroit,  Mich 116,346 

Milwaukee,  Wis 115,578 

Indianapolis,  Ind 75,074 

Kansas  City,  Mo 55,813 

Columbus,  O 51,665 

Toledo,  O 50,143 

Minneapolis,  Minn 46,887 


pal  Cities  in  tlio  World. 


Nashville,  Tenn.  . 
St.  Paul,  Minn.  .  . 
Denver,  Col.  .  .  . 
Omaha,  Neb.  .  .  . 
Des  Moines,  Ia.  .  . 
Leavenworth,  Kan. 
Little  Rock,  Ark.  . 


PACIFIC  STATES. 
San  Francisco,  Cal.    .    ,    . 

Oakland,  Cal 

Portland,  Or 

Virginia  City,  Nev.    .    .    . 
Salt  Lake,  Utah     .... 


43,401 
41,403 
35,030 
30,518 
22,408 
16,550 
13,185 

233,956 
34,566 
17,587 
13,705 
20,708 

DOMINION   OF   CANADA. 

Montreal 117,780 

Quebec 59,700 

Toronto 46,100 

Halifax 29,580 

Ottawa 21,540 

MEXICO,  CENTRAL  AMER- 
ICA, AND  ^VEST  INDIES. 

Mexico  City,  Mex 230,000 

La  Puebla,  Mex 75,500 

GUADALAHARA,  MeX 70,000 

New  Guatemala,  C.A.    .    .    .      40,000 

Havana,  W.  Ind 230,000 

Matanzas,  W.  Ind 36,000 

SOUTH  AMERICA. 
Rio  Janeiro,  Brazil  .... 

Bahia,  Brazil 

Pernambuco,  Brazil  .... 

Para,  Brazil    ....... 

Buenos  Ayres  (Arg.  Rep.)     . 

Montevideo,  Ur 

Asuncion,  Par 

Caracas,  Ven 

Santiago,  Chili  ...... 

Valparaiso,  Chili 

La  Paz,  Bol 

Lima,  Peru 

Quito,  Ec 

Bogota,  Col 


EUROPE. 

London,  Eng 3, 

Liverpool,  Eng 

Birmingham,  Eng,   ..... 

Manchester,  Eng 

Leeds,  Eng 

Sheffield,  Eng 

Bristol,  Eng 

Glasgow,  Scot 

Edinburgh, Scot 

Dublin,  Ir 

Belfast,  Ir 

Paris,  France 1, 

Lyon,  France 

Marseille,  France      .... 

Bordeaux,  France 

Brussels,  Belg 

281 


228,700 
128,900 
116,700 
35,000 
177,800 
104,300 
48,000 
48,900 
129,800 
97,700 
76,400 
100,000 
70,000 
45,000 

,533,500 
527,100 
377,400 
359,200 
298,200 
282,000 
202,900 
555,900 
215,100 
314,700 
174,400 
,998,800 
322,600 
234,700 
212,100 
161,800 


282 


GEOGBAPIIICAL   PRIMER, 


ANTWznr,  Eelg 150,700 

Amsterdam,  IIol 296,200 

Rotterdam,  IIol 136,200 

Copenhagen,  Den 181,300 

Stockholm,  Swed 157,200 

Christiania,  Nor 77,000 

Berlin,  Prus 966,900 

Breslau,  Prus 239,000 

Dresden,  Sax 197,300 

Leipzig,  Sax 127,400 

Hamburg  (Free) 264,700 

Munich,  Bav 198,800 

Vienna,  AusT 660,700 

Buda-Pesth  Hun 254,500 

Prague,  Bon 106,500 

BuKHAREST,  Rou 221,800 

Geneva,  Switz 67,400 

Madrid,  Sp 367,300 

Barcelona,  Sp 216,000 

Lisbon,  Port 224,100 

Naples,  It 415,500 

Rome,  It 219,600 

Milan,  It 199,000 

Venice,  It 128,900 

Athens,  Greece 74,000 

Constantinople,  Tur.     .    .    .  600,000 

Adrianople,  Tur 100,000 

St.  Petersburg,  Rus.      .    .    .  668,000 

Moscow,  Rus 602,000 

Warsaw,  Rus 320,100 

Odessa,  Rus 184,800 


ASIA. 

Damascus,  Tur 150,000 

Smyrna,  Tur 150,000 

Tabriz,  Per 120,000 

Teheran,  Per 100,000 

Mecca,  Ar 50,000 

Candahar,  Afgh 80,000 

Calcutta,  Br,  Ind 704,700 

Bombay,  Br.  Ind 644,400 

Madras,  Br.  Ind 397,600 

Bangkok,  Siam 500,000 

Peking,  China 1,648,800 

Canton,  China 1,236,000 

Su-chau,  China 1,000,000 

Chang-chau,  China      .    .    .      1,000,000 

ToKio,  Japan 789,000 

Manila,  Phil.  Ids 160,000 

AFRICA. 

Cairo,  Egypt 349,900 

Alexandria,  Egypt    ....  212,000 

Fez,  Morocco 150,000 

Tunis,  Tunis 125,000 

Algiers,  Algeria 52,000 

Cape  Town,  Cape  Col.    .    .    .  33,200 

AUSTRALIA. 

Melbourne 212,200 

Sydney 134,800 


Lengths  of  the  Principal  Eivers  of  the  "World. 


NEW  WORLD. 

Mississippi  (Lower,  with  Mo.)  .  4,200 

Amazon,  S.A 3,750 

La  Plata  (and  Parana)  S.A. .    .  2,300 

Mackenzie,  N. A 2,300 

St.  Lawrence,  N.A 2,000 

Saskatchewan,  N.A 1,900 

Yukon,  N.A 1,600 

Orinoco,  S.A 1,550 

San  Francisco,  S.A 1,550 

Rio  Grande  del  Norte,  N.A.    .  1,500 

Columbia 1,020 

Colorado 1,000 

Alabama 650 

Susquehanna 400 

Connecticut 350 

Hudson 330 


OLD  W^ORLD. 

Nile,  Af 4,000 

Yenisei,  Asia 3,400 

Yang-tse-kiafg,  Asia    ...    .  3,320 

Obi,  Asia 3,000 

Niger,  Af 3,000 

Lena,  Asia.    .    .    , 2,700 

A  moor,  Asia 2,650 

Brahmapootra,  Asia      ....  2,300 

Volga,  Europe 2,000 

Indus,  Asia 1,850 

Danube,  Europe 1,800 

Euphrates,  Asia 1,750 

Ganges,  Asia 1,600 

Zambesi,  Ar 3,600 

Murray,  Aust 1,500 

Rhine 880 


Height  of  the  Highest  Mountains  in  the  "World. 


OLD  WORLD. 

Mount  Everest  (Himalaya), 
IIindookoosh  (Afghn.) 
Elburz  (Caucasus)  .    . 
Ararat  (Armenia)  .    . 
Mount  Blanc  (Alps)    . 
Monte  Rosa  (Alps) 
Pic  Anethoux  (Pyr.)  . 
Kiliman.taro  (Africa) 
Kosciusko  (Aust.)   .    . 


29,000  f 
20,000  ' 
18,572  « 
16.960  • 
15,780  ♦ 
15,223  « 
11,168  ' 
20.065  ' 
7,176  * 


NEW  WORLD. 

Nevado  de  Sorata  (Bol.)     .  25,000  ft. 

Aconcagua  (Chili)  ....  24,422  ♦' 

CiiiMBORAZo  (Ecuador)    .    .  21,414  ** 

Popocatapetl  (Mex.)    .     .     .  17,784  " 

Orizaba  (Mex.) 17,897  " 

Mount  AVhitney  (Cal.)    .    .  15,000  " 

Uncompaghre  (Col.)     .    .    .  14,587  ** 

Gray's  Peak  (Col.)      .    .    .  14,295  " 

St.  Elias  (Alaska)  ....  14,C70  " 


RETURN  TO  the  circulation  desk  of  any 

University  of  California  Library 

or  to  the 

NORTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 
BIdg.  400,  Richmond  Field  Station 
University  of  California 
Richmond,  CA  94804-4698 

ALL  BOOKS  MAY  BE  RECALLED  AFTER  7  DAYS 
2-month  loans  may  be  renewed  by  calling 

(510)642-6753 
1-year  loans  may  be  recharged  by  bringing  books 

to  NRLF 
Renewals    and    recharges    may    be    made    4    days 

prior  to  due  date 

DUE  AS  STAMPED  BELOW 


FEB  2  7  1996 


J 


20,000  (4/94) 


J  U    OvJ^DO 


54j;]96 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CAUFORNIA  LIBRARY 


